MARION, OH (MARION COUNTY NOW)—During Monday’s Marion City Council Finance Committee meeting significant concerns regarding the city’s financial status were discussed, particularly in light of year-to-date revenue figures and projections for the 2026 budget.
The city’s general fund revenues reached $13.5 million by the end of October, down $2 million compared to the previous year due to decreases in grants and income tax receipts.
Interim fund balances were noted at approximately $7.4 million, with active fund balances around $10 million. However, enterprise funds are projected to face a $10 million deficit, with $58 million in expenditures against $48 million in revenues.
Marion Mayor Bill Collins indicated that to address the financial challenges, the city has already tightened its budget and decided not to fill several open positions across departments, including police and fire services, which has caused a decrease in uniformed personnel in both the police and fire departments. These openings, a result of attrition, will leave both the police and fire departments short staffed.
Further committee discussions revealed concerns about the impact of attrition and potential layoffs, emphasizing the unsustainable nature of projected expenses versus declining revenues.
Councilman Ayers Ratliff warned of impending layoffs due to a mismatch between anticipated revenue and projected expenses. Ratliff asked Mayor Collins how long he felt the blame on these shortages could be placed on former mayor Scott Shertzer.
Mayor Collins acknowledged the challenges but urged caution regarding discussions of layoffs, indicating the need to monitor revenues before making such decisions. Overall, the meeting underscored the urgency of managing the city’s budget amidst ongoing financial pressures.
In another major revelation, the new Marion Fire Station project has been put on hold due to the city’s financial distress. In 2022, the voters of Marion passed property tax levy to fund the station.
In other business, the Finance Committee voted to donate $25,000 to the Salvation Army in an effort to assist SNAP recipients with food in the wake of the recent government shutdown.