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Marion council adopts FY26 budget, approves minor FY25 revision and several financing measures
Summary
The City Council adopted the FY2026 budget (a roughly $80 million citywide budget with an estimated $37,000 surplus), approved a FY25 budget revision, and unanimously authorized loan agreements to finance seven police vehicles and a 2025 Ford F-250 for the fire department plus several budgeted capital purchases.
The Marion City Council voted unanimously to adopt the fiscal year 2026 budget and to approve routine budget and financing measures during its April 26 meeting.
Staff reviewed the budget process and high-level numbers before the vote. Lance (city finance staff) told the council the FY26 budget includes a projected surplus of about $37,000 and that total citywide expenditures are budgeted at just under $80 million. “Back in early January, the process begins . . . and as always, the budget has a surplus this year, of just about 37,000,” he said.
Council first adopted Resolution 2025-06 to amend the FY25 annual budget to reconcile actual spending and revenues. It then approved Ordinance 4033 adopting the FY26 annual budget. Both measures passed on unanimous roll calls by Commissioners Patton, Barwick, Webb, Stecklin and Mayor Absher.
Alongside the budget votes, councilors approved a set of financing and procurement measures tied to the budget: Ordinance 4035 authorizing a loan agreement with First Southern Bank to finance seven replacement police vehicles; Ordinance 4036 authorizing a loan agreement with First Southern Bank to finance a 2025 Ford F-250 for the fire department (5‑year term at 2.65% was clarified during discussion); and a budgeted purchase of a replacement F-250 from Vogler Ford for the fire department. The votes on those matters were unanimous.
Councilors and staff noted the loans reflect planned vehicle replacement schedules and competitive bidding among local banks. On the police-vehicle financing, staff reported they solicited bids from five banks and received four competitive responses; First Southern was the low bidder.
The council also approved routine personnel and administrative items tied to the budget: appointments of department heads for FY2026 (ordinance 4037) with no changes from the prior year, and the listed nonbargaining-unit salary adjustments included in the adopted FY26 budget.
The council did not divide the consent items and handled the finance measures by roll-call votes. Implementation steps such as loan closing and signatures will follow the ordinance approvals, and staff said they will ensure clerical corrections (for example, loan-term language) are fixed before final documents are signed.
