Marion City Council talks taxes, waterline repairs and future of senior nutrition program

The Marion City Council spent much of its latest meeting navigating a series of pressing challenges from an environmental enforcement action and mounting infrastructure needs to overdue taxes, equipment failures and the future of the city’s senior nutrition program. 

City Clerk Laura Hinton confirmed that Marion has received a formal summons from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management related to decades-old illegal dumping at the Henry Street city shop. 

According to the city attorney, the issue centers on large mounds of dirt estimated at 20 feet high, 40 yards wide, and 150 yards long that ADEM believes may containburied trash. Although the city has already removed more than 60 tons of debris over the years, ADEM says the remaining mounds must be taken to a landfill. 

The agency is also seeking $12,000 previously assessed, and the summons includes the possibility of daily penalties. 

City officials said Marion has repeatedly informed ADEM that it cannot afford the cleanup costs. The attorney will file a formal response and attempt to negotiate a workable plan. 

“We can’t take any manufactured debris at the city shop anymore,” Mayor Dexter Hinton said. “Only natural debris, limbs, sticks, and dirt, because anything else could count as a violation.” 

The city clerk also gave a detailed financial update showing the city used a recent $179,000 payment from Alabama Power to catch up on overdue federal payroll taxes dating back to mid 2024. 

Laura Hinton told the council, approximately $195,000 in tax payments were sent out between Monday night and Tuesday morning, covering quarters three and four of 2024 and the first two pay periods of 2025. She explained the city still must pay several outstanding retirement contributions and is awaiting a $58,000 payment from Spire Gas to continue stabilizing accounts. 

“We’re not going to jail for anyone,” Laura Hinton said, emphasizing the urgency of staying current on payroll taxes. 

A full financial overview will be presented during upcoming budget work sessions on Feb. 4 and Feb. 11. 

Council members revisited the city’s ongoing struggle with aging sanitation equipment. Councilman Stanley Kennie warned that buying a used garbage truck without hiring a diesel mechanic would be a costly mistake. 

“You need a diesel mechanic, a hydraulic mechanic, and a welder if you’re going to run used equipment,” Stanley Kennie said. “Right now, trucks are running with no taillights, no headlights, no caution lights. They couldn’t even move out of the yard today.” 

The council asked for cost comparisons on purchasing a new truck versus a used one, along with the cost of hiring a full-time mechanic, estimated at around $80,000 annually. 

Alabama Power notified the city that crews will replace a utility pole in front of the police department on February 4, requiring a temporary outage from 8 a.m. to noon. City Hall will open at 12:30 p.m. that day. 

The mayor reported ongoing progress on the city’s multi-phase water system rehabilitation. Bids for four contracts are due Feb. 17 at 10 a.m. Crews are currently replacing valves and repairing leaks across the city. 

The council agreed that seniors must be removed immediately from the Lincoln Nutrition Center due to worsening building conditions, including roof and interior damage. 

A roof repair grant has been approved, but weather delays have stalled the work. Until repairs are complete, seniors will receive frozen meals delivered to their homes. 

The council also discussed relocating the program to the Marion Depot by adding a kitchen, an idea supported by several members. The city plans to seek bids for installing a kitchen using community development funds. 

“We need to work on us instead of improving someone else’s building,” Stanley Kennie said, noting that the Lincoln facility is not city owned. 

The council will continue budget discussions on Feb. 4 and 11, with several major decisions ahead including sanitation equipment, facility repairs, and potential bids for a new kitchen at the Depot.