For the Good of the Order

Mayor AbouAssaly Delivers Marion’s 31st Annual State of the City Address
On Tuesday, Mayor Nick AbouAssaly delivered the 31st annual State of the City address for Marion before a crowd of about 630 attendees. This was Mayor Nick’s 10th State of the City address and his remarks highlighted the ways that Marion, through its focus on quality of life, quality of place and providing opportunities for all people, is "Building A Premier Community." The mayor also spoke about how Marion is blessed with a strong business community and is doing its part to shape a strong and vibrant region. In addition to the video links above, the 2024 Annual Report was shared during the event. For those unable to attend the presentation, a full recording will be available in a couple of weeks and posted on the City’s website and social media channels. Thank you, Mayor, for your leadership and commitment to our community!

Nancy Miller Recognized with Community Impact Award
Together with Marion Chamber, the City is pleased to announce that Nancy Miller has been named the 2025 Morris S. Neighbor Community Impact Award recipient. Nancy has a long history of advocating for Marion residents and making contributions toward the advancement of the community. In 1994, she received an inheritance from her mother. Rather than keeping the gift for herself, Nancy considered where it could make the biggest impact. That year, she provided a $500,000 donation that jump-started the effort to build a new Marion library. She later contributed an additional $150,000, making her donation the largest received for that facility, which opened in 1996. For the next 24 years, the Nancy A. Miller Marion Public Library served this community. “Nancy helped Marion build not only one library but two,” said Bill Carroll in his nomination. “Because, for Nancy, it’s always been about how a library serves its community.” Thank you for your years of dedicated service, Nancy – congratulations!!  

Open House Happening March 20 to Inform Plans for Willowood Park & Proposed Aquatic Center
The City of Marion is working with Waters Edge Aquatic Design to conduct a planning process to redevelop Willowood Park, home of the existing Marion Pool, and solidify plans for the new proposed aquatic center, to be located south of Munier Road between 31st and 35th Streets. On Thursday, March 20, the consultant and City staff will host a public open house from 6-7:30 p.m. in the Community Room at the Marion Public Library to help educate residents and gather feedback on the concurrent projects. Additionally, an online survey will be made available on March 20, to gather more community input. It will be available through March 31.

Public Hearing on Proposed Property Tax Rate Set for March 27
State law requires cities to hold two public hearings before adopting the budget. The Marion City Council will hold its first public hearing regarding the maximum property tax rate, during a special meeting on March 27, 2025, at 1:30 p.m. A link to the max rate notice can be found at www.cityofmarion.org/government/finance/budget. A $14.89684 (increased from $14.80314) property tax rate is proposed to bring in the additional property tax revenue required to fund needed services to our community. Of the 3.87% increase, 2.54% is allocated to principal and interest payments on the City’s debt. The remaining 1.33% will cover rising operating costs, including insurance, bus services and wages. Residents are encouraged to attend and provide input.

Property Tax Statements
As required by state law, Linn County will be mailing each property owner an individual statement regarding the proposed levies (including City, School, County, etc.) and the combined property tax rate being proposed. The statement may cause some confusion. It will show double digit percentage increased for all taxing jurisdictions. However, the proposed increase is 3% or less for homes and less than 2% for commercial properties (valued at $300,000). The higher percentages are due to the statement reflecting a 10% increase in property value despite this being a non-reassessment year.

Road Closure: Belltower Lofts
On Monday, March 17, T&K Roofing will close 8th Avenue between 12th and 13th Streets to complete work associated with the Belltower Lofts project. Traffic will be detoured to 7th Avenue. This closure is expected to last one week, weather permitting. 

City Employees Receive Hands-Only CPR Training
Earlier this week, several members of Team Marion participated in Hands-Only CPR training. Special thanks to the members of the Marion Fire Department who led the optional training for City employees. The primary objective of the training was for employees to practice their techniques, as bystander CPR triples the chances of survival.

SimIowa Makes a Stop in Marion
SimIowa, an emergency medical simulation lab, teamed up with the Marion Fire Department this week for some outstanding training. The training involved several emergency medical scenarios using high-fidelity robotic mannequins to help keep our firefighters’ skills sharp. Great way to reach higher, MFD!

Adopt-A-Spot Program Accepting Volunteers
The Parks and Recreation Department is expanding its list of adoptable spaces throughout the City as part of its Adopt-A-Spot program. Individuals and groups will be able to adopt select areas in the Marion park system and maintain them from April to November. Volunteers will be responsible for collecting litter in the designated area once per month during this period. The Parks and Recreation Department will provide the necessary personal protective equipment, training and colored garbage bags. The department will also collect the bagged garbage. Each area will have signage installed to recognize the volunteers for their efforts. Learn more online or call 319-447-3580 to inquire.

Adopt-A-Flowerbed Program Also Accepting Volunteers
Marion Parks and Recreation invites you to Adopt-A-Flowerbed and take pride in making our community a more beautiful place to be. This program allows volunteers of all skill levels, ages and group sizes to adopt a flowerbed - with more beds available this season! Volunteers will plant annuals or perennials (provided by the City) and help maintain the flowerbed throughout the growing season. Flowerbeds vary in size, so choose one that fits your group size and a time commitment you’re comfortable with. Volunteers will be recognized with a personalized sign in their adopted bed and the option of participating in a friendly end-of-season award contest. Learn more online or call 319-447-3580 to inquire.

Military Tribute Banner Sponsorships Available
For the eighth year, the City of Marion has partnered with the Marion Chamber and Uptown Marion and invited residents to honor those who are serving or have served in the United States Armed Forces. Approximately 10 spaces are still available. Find details and the application online. To request to be among the first notified next year, please visit https://tinyurl.com/marionmilitarybanners. 

Sponsorship Opportunities Available
Generous support from businesses makes many of Marion’s events possible. The annual Fireworks & Fireflies event would not be possible without our valued sponsors. As logistical needs grow, so do expenses. We would love to be able to have an even bigger fireworks display in 2025, but we can only do so with additional sponsorship support. Are you part of a business or organization that is in a position to contribute to this signature Marion celebration? Learn more about the opportunities at www.cityofmarion.org/sponsorships. The deadline to participate and receive all sponsor benefits is March 31.

New Faces in New Places
We are thrilled to have two new faces joining the City of Marion on Monday, March 24. Please welcome Michael Behn to the Marion Fire Department as a firefighter. He comes to us with previous firefighting and EMT experience with the Hiawatha Fire Department. We’re glad to have you join us, Michael!

Kelly Willadsen is also joining Team Marion. Kelly will be our new recreation superintendent with the Marion Parks and Recreation Department and comes to us from the City of Hiawatha. Congrats, Kelly! Welcome aboard!

• When will curbside yard waste collection resume?
  Crews will begin collecting the yard waste carts with green lids at the curb beginning on Monday, March 31.

• When and where will compost be available for pickup this year?
  Beginning the first week of April, Marion residents can pick up compost (topsoil) at the Yard Waste Drop-Off Facility, located at 195 35th Street. Compost is available at no cost, but residents should be able to produce their blue card upon request and load it themselves.

• Is Marion hosting a citywide garage sale this year?
  No. We are not planning to host citywide garage sales this year. With a list of 150-200 addresses, we found that the people hosting the sales were disappointed in the number of shoppers. Our observation is that Marion is a bit too large to host a citywide event and neighborhoods have better luck when they come together to have neighborhood sales.

• Where will the mobile traffic camera be stationed next week?
  For 72 hours, between March 16-22, 2025, the mobile speed enforcement vehicle will be located in the 1400-block of 10^th Street, southbound.

Upcoming Events

Here’s a look at what’s happening in Marion:

• Friday, March 14 – BINGO Night at Lowe Park – Cancelled due to weather
• Saturday, March 15 – City Council Office Hours – 9-11 a.m. – Marion Public Library
• Saturday, March 15 – Wee Parade – 1:30 p.m. registration, 2 p.m. parade – Uptown Artway
• Thursday, March 20 – Willowood Park & Proposed Aquatic Center Open House – 6-7:30 p.m. – Marion Public Library

Here’s an overview of several items that will be coming before the City Council in the weeks ahead.

The following are a few of the major activities on my calendar for the coming weeks:

• Scheduled time out of the office (no IN FOCUS next week)

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