Maumee committee backs wage audit; public asks city to study parental leave

The Maumee Employee and Community Relations Committee voted to recommend the city conduct a wage audit covering both bargaining and nonbargaining units and discussed how peer-city studies will guide comparisons.

Speaker 5 moved that the city pursue a wage audit for both bargaining and nonbargaining units; Speaker 4 seconded and the motion passed on roll call. Speaker 2 said the city has budgeted funding for a complete wage study and referenced a Perrysburg example used as a sample. "They did two separate ones, one for the bargaining unit, one for nonbargaining. They were both right around $13 to $15,000," Speaker 2 said, adding the two studies cost about $30,000 when done separately.

Committee members emphasized choosing peer cities of similar size and budget rather than much larger jurisdictions. Speaker 4 and others named Perrysburg and Bowling Green as relevant comparators.

During public comment, Sarah Aydin, supervisor at the indoor theater, urged that benefits be reviewed alongside wages. "I found myself, realizing there is no maternity or paternity policy within the city of Maumee," Aydin said, and asked the committee to consider parental-leave and return-to-work policies as part of the employee-relations review.

Next steps: staff will provide price estimates and a recommended scope (peer selection and separate bargaining/nonbargaining analyses) for committee review before forwarding the recommendation to council.