In May of 2008 Akron firefighter, Tim Semelsberger was fired for violating the city's residency requirements.

Now he's a step closer to realizing a payday.

Arbitrator Marc Winters ruled in February that Semelsberger in fact should not have been fired, and now the city owes him more than $250,000 along with reinstatement to his job. The Firefighters Union had pushed for a total award of more than $283,000 citing the impact of lost overtime, but the arbitrator sided with the lower amount because the amount of overtime would be speculative.

The Akron Beacon Journal reports that a law adopted in 2006 banned municipalities from requiring employees to live in a particular area. The Ohio Supreme Court later upheld the ban on residency laws requiring municipal employees had to live in cities where they were employed.

City Attorney Cheri Cunningham tells the newspaper the city will appeal. Warner Mendenhall, who represented the firefighter's union, said they were pleased with the ruling.