Marion raises trash fee
Staff writer
Marion City Council voted Monday to approve a $5 increase in residential refuse fees for the remainder of 2026, followed by annual 3% increases through 2031.
It’s the first adjustment in about a decade and is intended to keep the service from not being operated at a loss.
The city would maintain its current refuse service rather than contract it out. Under projections presented to council members, refuse revenue is expected to slightly exceed expenses in coming years, city administrator Brian Wells said.
Council members also renewed the city’s property and liability insurance policy, selecting a lower-deductible option despite a sharp increase in cost. The new premium of $159,134 represents a 19.1% increase from last year’s $133,572.
A lower-cost option with significantly higher deductibles was rejected after discussion about financial risk associated with major weather events.
The council also received a $13,218.44 dividend check from its insurance provider, part of a long-running program that has returned more than $236,000 to the city over 19 years.
The meeting also included correction of warrant totals after a reporting error involving duplicate entries and incomplete reporting of electronic payments. The revised total approved was $217,929.85.
Among items included in the warrants were multiple uniform purchases for the city’s four-person electric department. Records show more than $10,000 spent on uniforms in roughly a month — more than $2,500 per employee.
In other business, the council approved appointments of Marci Cain and Missy Stuebenhofer May to the Marion City Library board, with terms running through April 30, 2030.
Council members also heard updates on infrastructure work, including in-house replacement of deteriorating water lines at city hall and an upcoming citywide water meter installation, expected to take place over the summer.
A request related to keeping livestock within city limits was presented for information purposes only. The council emphasized that any variance would fall under the authority of the Board of Zoning Appeals, not council members.