City Employee work at private properties in question
Mayor: We are out of that business
Private work by city employees came into question during Monday night’s City Council Workshop meeting.
Westside Community Executive Director Lori Ross had raised the matter at previous council meetings, saying it was her understanding that city employees were doing work at private properties while on the city’s timeclock.
Acting City Manager Anthony Nuccio said he has looked into allegations.
“The matter was discussed with representatives of Interfaith Neighbors,” Nuccio said. “The work was for curb cuts and driveway aprons as well as replacing several slabs of broken side walk in the city’s right-of-way.”
Nuccio said the employees were paid by the city but Interfaith Neighbors was billed for the labor costs.
Allegations that Community Development Block Grant [CDBG] funds were used to purchase materials are false, Nuccio said.
“The work was completed without the use of CDBG funds,” he said.
Interfaith Neighbors is a nonprofit that works to provide resources to help fill the needs of the community. Among their varied programs is a neighborhood revitalization project. Through that program, homes have been constructed or rehabbed and sold or rented to low-to-moderate income families at a cost-to-construct rate.
While the work in question was done at two properties along Atkins Avenue Ross presented a list of three additional properties Monday night.
“The work was done on private property on city time,” Ross said. “It’s shocking to me because I thought there was an ordinance that prohibits that type of work on city time on private property.”
Mayor John Moor said, once the matter was brought to the City Council’s attention it was immediately addressed.
“We are out of this business,” Moor said. “If we were in that business, after it was brought to our attention we made a policy decision and said we are out of that business until we will figure out what’s going on. We all want answers.”
Nuccio said he will investigate the nature of the work that was done at the additional properties along Dunlewy Street and at First Avenue and Asbury Avenue.
“It’s just a question of what can we get,” Ross said. “If this an option for everybody I’d certainly like to know how I can sign up for work at the [Community] Center.”
[Featured photo of Interfaith Neighbor’s project home in the Springwood/Stars Redevelopment plan]
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