Dilapidated structures targeted
Staff writer
A house and a garage, a commercial building, four garages, and a shed came into the sights Monday of Marion City Council when code inspector James Masters showed council members photos of the properties and told them why the structures were dangerous.
Council members signed off on a resolution to send owners notice that the city will begin a process that could result in condemnation of the properties. The resolution set Aug. 4 as a hearing at which owners must show cause why the structures should not be condemned and ordered repaired or demolished.
The structures are:
- A house and a garage at 120 W. Santa Fe St. owned by Scott A. Fisher, Hillsboro.
- A commercial building at 202 E. Main St. owned by Walton State Bank, with a deteriorated back and crumbling walls.
- A garage attached to a building at 314 S. Grant St. owned by Randall Bryant of the same Marion address.
- Two garages at 516 S. 3rd. St. owned by Loretta Looney, Florence.
- A garage at 529 S. Roosevelt St., owned by Floyd Sr., Floyd Jr., and Laura Meyers of the same Marion address.
- A shed at 1002 E. Nickerson St. owned by Leroy and Mondana Danler, Bel Aire.
In other business Monday:
Employee raises
Despite having discussed two weeks ago whether raises already budgeted for up to 5% could be based on merit, and being told the city has no system for employee evaluation, council members voted to give employees across-the-board raises of 5%.
Interim city administrator Mark McAnarney estimated that the raises, which will go into effect April 1, would cost the city between $55,000 and $60,000 a year. In Marion, that’s the
City administrator
City council members arranged to interview four candidates Tuesday for city administrator.
The city has had an interim administrator since February, 2024. Administrator Brogan Jones resigned after police and sheriff’s deputies conducted now-disavowed raids on the Marion County Record and the homes of its owners and city councilwoman Ruth Herbel.
Motorcycle scramble
Marion resident and motorcycle enthusiast Duane McCarty, who restarted Florence’s Grand Prix motorcycle race in 2023, asked council members whether they objected to starting a possibly twice-yearly Sunday motorcycle scramble north of the former Pizza Hut. The land is in the city limit.
Wendy Hett, daughter of landowner Rocky Hett, appeared at the meeting with McCarty.
The scramble would be entirely on private property owned by the Hett family and would not loop through town, McCarty said. A Hillsboro police officer himself, he said he doubted police would be needed at the event because riders appreciate such events and refrain from causing problems.
Local businesses would benefit from the weekend influx of riders, he said.
Council members expressed support for McCarty’s request by consensus.
“We will put together a plan,” McCarty said. “It will probably be the second week of October.”