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John Q. Public woke up yesterday morning to discover his driveway blocked in by city construction equipment. Mr. Public said he was 30 minutes late getting work and was only able to leave by driving his car over the lawn of his neighbor.
Work has been planned in this block for two months, according to city sources. However, residents were never notified of the work.
A city lawyer said an oversight in normal procedure prevented notifications from going out to residents. The city normally sends out two notices about work that will disrupt parking or block access to residences.
Mr. Public said he the city has failed to give notice on several of its projects this summer. According to open records requests, the city has sent notices to residents for less than half of its planned construction projects this summer.
"Clearly, the city is more interested in spending money on these projects than considering how they are going to impact the tax payer," Mr. Public said.
The city mayor said an internal review would be launched analyzing how the city sends out such notices.