The City of Tiffin Engineering Department operates under the direction of the City Engineer, who is a licensed Professional Engineer.
The office manages the design and construction of a majority of the infrastructure projects within the City of Tiffin. The office maintains records of maps, plats, plans, and sewer connections. The office administers the Zoning and Planning Codes of the City of Tiffin and serves as the Secretary for the City of Tiffin's Zoning Board of Appeals, Planning Commission, and Architectural Board of Review. Other responsibilities of the City of Tiffin Engineering Department include serving as the City's Flood Plain Administrator, serving as a member of the City's Traffic Safety Committee, administering the permitting process for the City's Storm Water Management Program, and managing the permitting and inspection process for all sewer connections and public sidewalk replacements.
About City Engineer Matt Watson
Matt Watson PE, PS, CPESC, CESSWI, CFM – City Engineer
Matt Watson has served as the City Engineer for the City of Tiffin since December 30, 2018. Prior to taking over the duties of City Engineer, Watson spent 5 years as the Assistant City Engineer for the City of Tiffin.
Watson, a Tiffin native, is a 2004 graduate of Tiffin Columbian High School. He earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and completed the extra coursework to become a professional land surveyor from The Ohio State University in 2009. Upon graduation, Watson moved back to Tiffin and took a position with Contractors Design Engineering in Norwalk, Ohio where he was able to work on projects in the Tiffin community such as the Schekelhoff Park Trail and the Saurwein Health and Wellness Center at Heidelberg University.
Watson is also involved in the community in other capacities. He previously served on the Board of Directors of the Seneca County Young Professionals and as the Eden Township zoning inspector. Watson also volunteers time judging classroom projects and promoting the engineering and survey professions to students. In 2018, he received the SIEDC Special Recognition Award for his work in assisting economic development in the community.
Watson is a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) and Professional Surveyor (PS) in the State of Ohio and also is a Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC), Certified Erosion, Sediment and Storm Water Inspector (CESSWI) and a Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM). Watson is a member of the Municipal Engineers Association of Ohio, Professional Land Surveyors of Ohio and the Association of State Floodplain Managers.
Since taking over as City Engineer, Watson has managed many transformational projects for the community including the Ella Street River & Canal Bridge Projects, the Jefferson Street Streetscape Project, the Railroad Safety Quiet Zone Project, the Sarah Street Project, the Miami Street Reconstruction Project, the East Perry Reconstruction Project, the CSO 24 & 30 Inflow Reduction Project and the HSTS Elimination Project. In addition to these projects since the passage of the City’s Road & Bridge Levy, Watson has developed a fiscally responsible and effective plan for the city’s streets, bridges and culverts, developed a plan for the implementation of the city’s Ohio EPA mandated Long Term Control Plan, developed a survey monument preservation program, managed the development of the city’s ADA Transition Plan, developed an annual culvert inspection program and managed the implementation of the city’s Ohio EPA mandated Storm Water Management Program. Under Watson’s leadership since 2018, the City Engineer’s Office has brought in nearly $12 million in local, state and federal grant funds for community infrastructure projects.
