Maumee’s Finance and Economic Development committee on Dec. 2 discussed options to use a sidewalk fund that officials said holds about $87,000. The meeting centered on whether the city should preserve the money for small repairs or restart a larger, organized sidewalk-replacement program.

The committee was reminded that the existing fund came from a past sidewalk assessment, when homeowners were charged after a city project, and that money has sat available for years, Speaker 4 explained. Speaker 7 described the old program: the city was divided into zones, staff manually assessed sections, and homeowners could either do the work themselves or be assessed when the city contractor completed the work. That approach, he said, proved time-consuming, piecemeal and created uneven sidewalk widths under the current 5-foot standard.

Members noted the $87,000 balance would pay for a limited amount of work. "$87,000 is not that much" one participant said, asking whether that would cover one block or only patching; staff estimated it might cover only a block or less once labor and equipment are included. Speaker 6 described Toledo’s model of assessing property owners with the option to spread payments over 10 years as one financing option others could study.

Speakers emphasized trade-offs: a proactive city-run program requires staff time to create, administer and monitor, while a purely reactive approach replaces sidewalks only when adjacent water, sewer or other public works projects require it. Committee members asked staff to present several funding and delivery options — including phased neighborhood approaches and financing bands — so council can set priorities before staff seek detailed contractor estimates.

Next steps: committee members asked staff to return with a demonstrative set of options and cost bands so council can prioritize where limited funds would be used and whether to propose assessments or a phased city program.