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Finance committee hears moral claim from Rochelle Galletti over curb damage; committee splits on $500 recommendation and forwards matter to full council
Summary
Resident Rochelle Galletti asked the finance committee to pay her $500 deductible after a curb-related incident in June 2023 that damaged her car. The committee heard testimony, questioned evidence and procedure, recorded at least one yes and one no vote, and will send the claim to the full council for final action.
The Finance, Civil Service and Personnel Committee heard a moral claim from resident Rochelle Galletti seeking reimbursement of $500, the deductible on a State Farm insurance payout for damage she says was caused when a curb piece came loose and struck her car.
Galletti told the committee the incident occurred on June 24 (she said) on South Crooked Lane and that a curb section and a matching dent in her passenger door aligned; she said she reported the matter to police and to then-city engineer Schmitzger, who she said told her a construction company might pay. Galletti said she delayed repairs because she expected payment from the company; State Farm subsequently paid the claim and she paid a $500 deductible.
Committee members — including Councilman Elliott, Councilman Martin and others — questioned how a curb piece could have dislodged and struck a moving car if no one was present, noted apparent inconsistencies in the police report, and asked about photographs and the timeline. Elliott, who identified himself in the discussion as a police officer, said he had seen many accident scenes and struggled to visualize how the curb piece “would fall off and hit your car” without contact. Galletti said she found the curb piece near her car and maintained the edges matched the damage.
Committee members also discussed signage and traffic control during the construction work; Galletti said there were no cones or barrels at the time. Committee members clarified that because State Farm already paid the claim, the city could not reimburse amounts already covered by the insurer and that the only possible payment would be the out-of-pocket deductible.
The committee chair called for a vote to authorize payment of the $500 deductible and recorded at least two members explaining their votes: one member (Morrow) said he did not feel Ms. Galletti should be “punished” over poor communication and voted yes; Councilman Martin said he could not reconcile the mechanics of how the damage occurred and voted no. The chair said the committee’s recommendation will be sent to the full Seven Hills City Council for a final decision; the transcript does not show a complete roll-call tally.
