County officials say they will appeal an Anne Arundel Circuit judge's ruling ordering them to hold off notifying government employees about the county's new health care plan.

The injunction, granted May 12 by Judge Warren B. Duckett Jr. in response to a suit by the county firefighters union, threatens efforts to implement a revised health care plan for the county's 4,000 employees by July 1, officials say.

County Attorney Judson P. Garrett said he has filed a request asking Judge Duckett to modify or rescind the week-old order.

If Judge Duckett denies the request, Mr. Garrett said he will appeal to the Court of Special Appeals and ask for an expedited decision.

The county firefighters union sought to delay the notices until two health care-related grievances filed by county workers could be resolved. The union said the outcome of the grievances could affect health care costs for county workers.

Resolving the grievances could take several weeks, county attorneys say.

The county wants to have employees signed up by the July 1 deadline. In order to accomplish this, the county says it must start notifying employees about health care options in the next few weeks.