Maumee COVID-19 Outbreak Disrupts Meeting Schedules For New Year

BY MIKE McCARTHY | MIRROR EDITOR — The coronavirus has swept through the offices of the Maumee Municipal Building in the early days of 2022, causing enough concern to warrant the closing of city offices to the public for several days until the virus runs its course and a safe environment for the public is restored.

“Enough city employees have tested positive to cause concern and warrant this precautionary action,” said Maumee city administrator Patrick Burtch on Monday.

The January 3 meeting of Maumee City Council was canceled at the last moment last week when city officials realized the extent of the situation. Four new Maumee council members were to have been sworn into office at the first meeting of 2022, but with the January 3 meeting canceled, each of the four was sworn in separately last week by Maumee Municipal Court Judge Dan Hazard.

Newly elected Maumee City Council members Margo Puffenberger, Jon Fiscus, Philip Leinbach and Josh Harris will have to wait until Tuesday, January 18 to join returning city council members Gabe Barrow, Jim MacDonald and Scott Noonan for the first official council meeting of 2022.

The Maumee ADA Advisory Commission meeting, scheduled for January 11, was also canceled due to COVID-19 concerns.

Maumee residents who wish to pay their fourth-quarter estimated taxes or quarterly water bills by the Saturday, January 15 due dates can make payments online or by phone. The phone number for the tax office is (419) 897-7120. The utility billing phone number is (419) 897-7125. The city website can be found at www.maumee.org.

Residents may also submit payments in the brown metal drop box located outside of the East Dudley Street entrance of the Maumee Municipal Building. The box is emptied every weekday morning and payments that are dropped off by the due date of January 15 will be considered on time.

With the city observing the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday on Monday, January 17, a decision on when the city offices will reopen to the public will most likely not be made until Tuesday, January 18 at the earliest.