City's door still open on pothole damage claims

From the Tribune today:

You have up to one year from the date of the incident to file a claim with the city clerk's office. Forms can be obtained from both the clerk's office and the City Council's Committee on Finance or online.

Include a description of the damage and how it occurred, and a police report. If possible, take pictures of the pothole and the damage to your vehicle. If you already have made repairs to your vehicle, include a copy of the bill; if not, include two estimates.

A Finance Committee investigator will check each claim for proper documentation and to make sure the pothole exists. Claims deemed valid are forwarded to the full council for approval. The city will pay half the cost of repairs up to $2,000.

"The logic is the driver may have had some chance to avoid the damage," committee spokesman Donal Quinlan said.

Claims are most commonly rejected because the city finds there was no pothole at the location, the location is in a suburb or the roadway is not maintained by the city, Quinlan said. Claim forms are available online at www.chicityclerk.com/claims.php or www.committeeonfinance.org/claims/index.asp.