Cleveland denied double the number of pothole claims than it approved in 2015, according to statistics from the city.
"With the large percentage of them [claims] not being validated, why weren't they validated?" questioned Cleveland City Councilman Zack Reed.
Reed has been an outspoken opponent of the pothole claims process, a process where the number of claims rejected each year far outnumber the claims approved.
In 2015, city officials said they received 681 claims, in which drivers requested that the city reimburse them for repairs to their car due to potholes. Of the 681, the city denied 417. It approved 207. There are still 44 open cases. The city closed 13 cases where a decision could not be made based on the circumstances of the case.
In 2014, Reed vowed to make a change, saying, "Council could easily step up to the plate and say to the administration to give these people added relief."
But today, he said he changed his mind.
"I don't know, from what I understand talking to the law department, whether we need to revamp it [the claims process]," Reed added.
"Are the conditions too strict for people to have a chance to be reimbursed in this situation?" asked NewsChannel 5 Reporter Kristin Volk to City Council President Kevin Kelley. "I don't think so," said Kelley.
Both Reed and Council President Kevin Kelley said they do not have a problem with the claims process. What they do have a problem with is the lack of people reporting potholes to the city.
"If you hit that pothole, whether you have damage or not, I think you have a requirement to make a phone call," said Reed.
In order for a claim to be approved, the city said it has to know about the pothole and fail to fix it.
"311 actually gives you a number, a tracking number, and then when you make that claim, you get a tracking number," he added.
Hours later, NewsChannel 5 called the city's 311 hotline to report a pothole at the corner of East 14th and Carnegie Avenue. But when our crew asked for a tracking number, the city told them they were too busy to give one out due to snow removal. It took three transfers and eight minutes to get the number.
Cleveland paid out $62,727.29 in claims in 2015. Officials said there is no cap on annual payouts.
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