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Maumee officials plan outreach and survey as consent‑decree timing remains uncertain
Summary
City staff said they are preparing door hangers, two‑page guidance and a survey to inform residents about sanitary sewer inspections and potential repair grants while awaiting final court action on a consent decree.
Maumee staff told the Public Information Committee they are preparing community outreach materials and a public survey about sanitary sewer inspections and a related grant program while the city awaits a final decision in a consent decree.
Committee members and staff said the city is in a holding pattern because the consent‑decree process is not complete. Staff described a plan to prepare materials in advance — including a two‑page application summary, door hangers for affected streets and an FAQ — and to begin collecting residents' questions through a survey so the city can answer them in batches once federal or court timelines are clear.
Staff said the outreach will be multi‑modal: live‑streamed informational sessions hosted in the council chamber, targeted mailings tied to water‑billing cycles for affected neighborhoods, updated website content (including a prominent sewer link on the homepage), door hangers where crews will work, and a phone menu option directed to sewer questions. Staff reported that Corey in finance currently fields many inquiries and that the city will standardize call routing so sewer questions reach a designated line and an automated fallback message if staff are busy.
Committee members suggested a two‑part approach: record a committee presentation in the chamber for a complete, archived overview and then host community sessions or staffed tables in affected neighborhoods for specific, case‑by‑case questions. Staff said Matt has drafted a two‑page summary of the grant application process and that door hangers for work in the field are ready.
Timing: staff noted that the public comment period for the consent decree closes on September 26 and that there is uncertainty about how long it will be until a judge signs any order. Because the city does not yet have definitive next steps from the court, staff emphasized they do not want to hold public meetings that leave residents without answers. The committee directed staff to launch a structured survey to collect resident questions and to prepare the informational materials so they can be released once court timelines solidify.
No formal motions or funding actions were taken at the meeting; staff will return with a plan for survey distribution, web posting, phone routing and coordinated mailings.
