Marion mayor says city will have to shut down if council can't approve $100K funding

Marion Mayor Dexter Hinton says the city could face a shutdown after half of the City Council declined to support a resolution for a $100,000 line of credit during Monday’s meeting, leaving critical bills unpaid and city operations in jeopardy. 

Hinton said that without approval of the resolution, which the council deadlocked on 3-3, Marion cannot secure a line of credit needed to cover payroll, retirement, insurance and utility costs.  

“If we can’t get this done, we’ll probably have to go in furlough like the federal government. We’re going to probably have to shut down,” he said. 

The council meets Wednesday night for a work session at 5 p.m. and on Dec. 15 for their next regular scheduled meeting. 

The mayor noted that the city has already fallen behind on payments, with residents along Highway 5 experiencing water outages because the city cannot purchase materials to repair damaged lines. “We still haven’t been able to pay the bills for the city. We can’t operate without it,” Hinton said. 

Council members’ lack of action has sparked debate over its impact. Perry County Commissioner Albert Turner suggested on social media that the decision could put grant funding at risk. Hinton disputed that claim, saying the grants are tied to audits already submitted for fiscal year 2022 and nearly finalized for 2023. 

If the city is forced to furlough employees and suspend services, Hinton admitted the consequences are unclear. “I’ve never done it before. I don’t know. Hopefully they’ll come to a consensus,” he said. 

The mayor urged residents to ask council members directly why they opposed the measure, stressing that transparency is critical as Marion faces a serious financial crisis.