JEFF MORGANTEEN
Connecticut Post Online (Bridgeport, Connecticut)

STAMFORD -- A superior court judge ordered the city to pay $287,762 to the volunteer Turn of River Fire Department before June 30, two years after the department took the city to court over severe budgets cuts.

Citing budget impropriety, Judge Kevin Tierney issued a bench decision Wednesday in favor of the volunteer-run department that resolved one of two lawsuits Turn of River has against the city over budget cuts, diversion of property tax revenue and the alleged contract violations. A 25-page decision in the second lawsuit should be issued soon, Tierney wrote in this week's most recent judgement.

The trial during which both lawsuits were heard ended earlier this month, concluding nearly two years worth of legal maneuvers by the city and fire department. The legal contest began in 2007, when the city announced a consolidation plan between its city-run department, Stamford Fire & Rescue, and three of Stamford's five volunteer-run departments.

Mayor Dannel Malloy and City Attorney Tom Cassone did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment on the court order.

Turn of River opposed the plan, voted down a tentative agreement over it, and in response the city cut it's operating budget by 88 percent for this fiscal year, which ends next week. With the drastically reduced budget, Turn of River racked up a $180,000 deficit, sold a fire engine and closed its second fire station.

"As the saying goes, 'You can't fight city hall,'" Turn of River attorney Mark Kovack said. "It's difficult to do, but we believed we were in the right. In the court order, it appears the court agreed."

Kovack expects the city to appeal the decision.

The ruling orders the city to raise nearly $290,000 within four days and comes during a tough budget cycle that saw threats of police officer layoffs and concessions such as pay cuts from city unions.

Throughout the past year, the city also asked municipal departments to give back small percentages of their budgets to cover a projected budget shortfall caused by a decline in revenue.

The Belltown Fire Department, the second volunteer department to oppose the consolidation plan, has pending lawsuits against the city citing mostly the same arguments. No ruling has been issued in that case.

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June 25, 2009