4 Fort Worth water employees caught on camera paving private driveway resign, city says
Four employees with the City of Fort Worth Water Department have resigned after a resident caught them on video placing asphalt on a private driveway, the city said.
The employees, who weren’t identified, were placed on administrative leave as the city investigated the incident. They were facing disciplinary action, including termination, the city said in a news release.
The paving occurred on the east side of Fort Worth on Friday, city spokesperson Mary Gugliuzza said in an email. The water department became aware of it on Monday, she said, and immediately launched an investigation into what happened.
Water Director Chris Harder said in the release the investigation “included interviewing the customer who had the driveway paved as well as the crew involved in the paving.”
It’s the city’s understanding that the employees were compensated for the work, Gugliuzza said.
“We acted swiftly when we became aware of it,” she said. “We thank the person who took the video for bringing this to the city’s attention.”
It was important for city leadership, she added, “to be transparent with our ratepayers about what had happened and the actions taken to address the situation.”
The water department has passed the case over to the police department, which will investigate the incident.
Anyone who sees questionable activity with city resources, like the paving of a private driveway, is asked to call 817-392-1234 or email the call center at 1234@fortworthtexas.gov.
This story was originally published May 13, 2021 at 7:39 AM.
