Maumee council approves sewer reimbursements, new funds and temporary moratorium on marijuana businesses

Maumee City Council voted to approve a package of ordinances and resolutions that the council said will fund sanitary sewer rehabilitation projects, create new accounting funds for water debt and energy improvement activities, adjust 2025 appropriations and extend a temporary moratorium on marijuana-related commercial activity.

The package included three council resolutions declaring the city’s intent to reimburse its sewer fund with proceeds of tax-exempt debt for multiple sanitary sewer rehabilitation phases, council approval to create a water debt service fund (Fund 338) and an energy special improvement district fund (Fund 523), an amendment to the 2025 appropriations, and a 12-month moratorium on the siting or construction of medical or recreational marijuana cultivation, processing or retail facilities.

Council members repeatedly said the sewer-related measures are to enable use of tax-exempt debt and to comply with prior planning for phased sanitary-sewer rehabilitation. Resolution 016-2025 concerns the Uptown Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation Phase 4; Resolution 018-2025 concerns the Uptown Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation Phase 5; and Resolution 019-2025 concerns the East End Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation Phase 1. The council approved each of those resolutions on third reading and recorded affirmative roll-call votes.

The council also approved, by separate votes, a resolution authorizing the director of finance to establish a water debt service fund (Resolution 024-2025) and a resolution authorizing establishment of an Energy Special Improvement District fund (Resolution 025-2025). Councilmembers stated the water debt service fund is strictly an accounting measure intended to segregate debt-service expenses for the water distribution system.

Council voted to waive three readings and pass Ordinance 025-2025 amending the 2025 appropriations, and to waive rules and pass Ordinance 026-2025 imposing a temporary moratorium — not to exceed 12 months from its effective date — on establishment, development or change of use for facilities that would enable cultivation, processing or retail sale of medical marijuana or marijuana. The moratorium was described by the mayor and other council members as intended to allow city officials time to review applicable Ohio statutes and regulations and align city code.

Votes at a glance (formal actions taken)

- Consent calendar (consisting of routine items and an EPA-consent-decree-related fee-waiver for sanitary-sewer separation work): approved by roll call; outcome: approved.

- Ordinance 018-2025 (amend Maumee Codified Ordinance 184.02 — Environmental Commission-related): motion and second recorded; outcome: approved by roll call.

- Ordinance 019-2025 (levy a special assessment for property owners’ share of street lighting costs): third reading; outcome: approved by roll call.

- Resolution 016-2025 (intent to reimburse sewer fund for Uptown Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation Phase 4 with tax-exempt debt): third reading; outcome: approved by roll call.

- Resolution 019-2025 (intent to reimburse sewer fund for Maumee East End Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation Phase 1 with tax-exempt debt): third reading; outcome: approved by roll call.

- Resolution 018-2025 (intent to reimburse sewer fund for Uptown Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation Phase 5 with tax-exempt debt): third reading; outcome: approved by roll call.

- Resolution 024-2025 (authorize director of finance to establish Water Debt Service Fund 338; emergency): motions to suspend rules and approve were passed; outcome: approved by roll call.

- Resolution 025-2025 (authorize director of finance to establish Energy Special Improvement District Fund 523; emergency): motions to suspend rules and approve were passed; outcome: approved by roll call.

- Ordinance 025-2025 (amend Ordinance 08-2025 as to 2025 appropriations; motions to waive three readings and approve): outcome: approved by roll call. Council discussion noted a requested transfer of $50,000 from Fund 217 (the indigent driver alcohol-treatment fund) to be used as allowed by the Department of Mental Health for alcohol/drug treatment and monitoring programs.

- Ordinance 026-2025 (temporary moratorium on marijuana cultivation, processing and retail for up to 12 months; emergency): motions to suspend rules and approve were passed. Roll-call voting on the final approval recorded one member voting no; the ordinance was approved.

Council members used roll-call votes for each measure. For most items the roll-call responses recorded all members present voting “yes.” For Ordinance 026-2025 (the moratorium), the roll call recorded one “no” vote; the ordinance nonetheless passed. The council did not amend the substantive scope of the sewer-reimbursement resolutions during the meeting, and members who spoke described the sewer reimbursements as steps to align city projects with available tax-exempt financing.

The meeting packet and law director recommendations were cited several times during the consent and third-reading items; the law director’s recommendation was referenced regarding the EPA consent-decree-related program that authorizes fee waivers for sanitary-sewer separation repair and installation. Council also noted a 30-day period awaiting a judge’s signature on a consent entry referenced in the meeting.

The votes were cast by roll call. Members who participated in roll calls (as named in the meeting record) include Barrow, Viscus, Harris, Kurt, Kleinbach, Poppenberger, Ziss, Fiscus and Hoppenberger. (Individual roll-call votes for each item are recorded in the meeting transcript.)

Looking ahead, councilmembers said some of these items — particularly the finance and sewer items — will be part of ongoing budget and implementation conversations and may require additional administrative steps tied to bond issuance or state approval for tax-exempt debt.