MAUMEE, Ohio — It's been a stinky situation over the last two months in Maumee regarding sewers. But now, city officials are making an effort to help those concerned about the costs of sewer repairs.
"First thing I asked is 'OK, how are we going to get money back to these people' because they deserve it," said Maumee City Council member Josh Harris.
Harris was one of five council members who voted in favor of a proposed sewer grant repair program Monday night. That program was brought up on Tuesday at a community roundtable discussion with the intention of giving property owners more peace of mind.
It's a voluntary program, though, so people must apply and be approved.
It's a new plan the city approved after repealing ordinance 20-2024 on July 31, which previously required residential properties for sale in Maumee city limits to have sewer line connections inspected and for owners to pay for potential repairs.
So, how does the program work?
It depends on your income and the type of fix needed. If you are fixing a foot of sewer lateral piping or a linear foot, and you make 125% of Maumee's average median income ($79,202, according to the city), you can qualify for up to $100 a foot in grant assistance, with a max of $8,000 total, depending on the project.
A full breakdown of the qualifications is below:
The city is offering a helping hand by offering money, but there were still those on Monday who voted no, like council member Philip Leinbach.
He says he's not against an assistance program, but thinks the current version to be tweaked.
"I believe that the focus on sewer laterals, which is what the grant covers for lateral work, I feel it's not going to move the needle in that direction of reducing SSOs (Sanitary Sewer Overflows), so whatever monies we have should be spent towards tangible reductions in the SSOs," Leinbach said.
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Maumee resident Julie Koralewski says she is just happy to finally be heard.
"I think that's what we're feeling right now is that we're coming together, and we've got some more ideas that are coming that we talked about tonight that's going to take place, and I think we're narrowing that gap," Koralewski said.
Maumee has three more community roundtables scheduled, which are set to take place from 6-8 p.m. inside council chambers on Aug. 22, 27, and 29.