Marion council hears FY 2026–27 budget; manager outlines 3% raises and $1.58M in capital projects

The Marion Town Council held a public hearing June 1 on the proposed fiscal year 2026–27 budget, during which Town Manager Andrew King said the draft plan would preserve sustainable revenues while investing in personnel and capital.

King said the budget includes a 3% cost-of-living adjustment for all town employees and flagged an 11.7% increase in employee health-insurance premiums. "This budget houses a 3% COLA for all of our town employees," King said, adding that the COLA would offset the employee premium increase for lower-paid staff.

On revenues, King told the council that town receipts are projected to rise slightly with inflation, noting a 5% rate increase for water and sewer reflected in the draft. He said the meals tax should see modest growth with new restaurant openings and longer hours at some fast-food outlets, while cigarette-stamp receipts are expected to continue declining year-over-year.

King detailed capital and one-time investments totaling about $1,582,000, including $600,000 budgeted for annual paving, $120,000 for police vehicle purchases, a $216,000 public-works wheel loader, a $120,000 asphalt recycler and a $500,000 match for improvements at Kalan Drive recreation park funded in part by a Department of Conservation and Recreation grant. He also described a snow-removal equipment line that budgets $425,000 toward a projected $945,000 expense and noted staff hopes for additional federal grant reimbursement to reduce the town share.

"We want to earn the money while it's there, but we also need to use these either one-time funds that we need to allocate towards strategic one-time spending," King said, calling the town's fund balance—largely from its ARPA allocation—"high" and noting it is currently held in an account yielding about 3.35%.

Council members discussed timing for formal adoption. King said the council could consider adoption at its next meeting, scheduled for June 15, or, if that meeting is interrupted, finalize adoption on June 30 when the books close. Councilors also noted a statutory or customary seven-day waiting period that affects the timing of a vote; the council closed the public hearing without adopting the budget that night.

During the public-comment period, two speakers addressed councilors. A resident who identified himself as Charles Woma thanked public-works crews for cleanup work and asked whether the town receives revenue from the Bristol Casino; staff and council replied that casino proceeds are handled at the county level and that any county allocation has been earmarked for countywide EMS. Charles also urged fiscal caution around grant-funded programs, warning about grant 'strings.'

Lucy, who identified herself as owner of Katis at 212 East Main Street, said her plan to open a cafe has stalled and asked the town for help. She provided projected revenue figures for the business and said she had been told to wait until October for certain assistance. Councilors and staff directed her to a USDA RBEG/ARBG loan program the town administers (described in the meeting as a $15,000 low-interest loan repaid over 60 months) and offered to send application materials the next morning.

Other council business included a near-complete municipal code update, a staff request to set a public hearing on a special-use permit for skills games at Roadrunner (the council set a public hearing for July 6), and manager updates on CHA Engineering work to produce two master-plan options for Kalan Drive recreation property and on continuing installation of radio-read water meters ahead of the new fiscal year.

The council recessed routine business and adjourned following brief reports and announcements about community events and volunteer days.