In a somewhat contentious Marion City Council meeting on May 5, one citizen voiced concerns about sewage and water back-up in an apartment complex in the ‘Hill’ area. The woman, who did not give her name, told the Council about a recent flooding event in the apartments and how she had to help a mother and her two children escape their flooded apartment and get a room at the Sleep Inn for the night.
Mayor Hinton told the woman the flooding issues in the area are “on the agenda.” When the woman persisted, asking why only two of the city’s eleven sewage lift stations are operational, Council clerk Laura Hinton said, “We do have the issue temporarily rectified. We need to make sure the business is handled at this business meeting. Can we move on?”
Regarding the inmate housing issue, Mayor Hinton said, “Due to recent transaction of turning away inmates, I make a motion to seek temporary housing for inmates in surrounding counties until an agreement is reached.” The motion was made by Councilmember Arrington and carried with unanimous approval.
Laura Hinton stressed the need for new police vehicles to the Council. Marion City Council members are currently looking at leasing options for two 2025 Ford Police Interceptor vehicles. “We have a lot of officers coming out of the academy and they need different equipment, and we need to upgrade our vehicles,” said clerk Hinton. Marion Police Department currently has seven active police vehicles.
Mayor Hinton made a motion to table the decision on leasing new vehicles. Councilmember Sanders seconded the motion, and it was unanimously carried by the Council.
Councilmember Nail made a motion to have the next Council meeting on May 21st. The motion was unanimously carried by the Council after being seconded by Councilmember Sanders.
