Sean DeWitt

The Marion County Commissioners said goodbye Tuesday morning to Marion County Recorder Mary Jo Osmun, who is retiring, and County Administrator Lenora Mayes, who was laid off due to budget reductions.

Tuesday was the last day of work for both individuals who have served Marion County for years. Mayes said her future plans include running for Marion County Recorder.

The Jobs and Economic Development Committee of Marion City Council heard quarterly reports from Downtown Marion and Marion CANDO. Following the reports, the committee voted on resolutions of support for both organizations. While the resolution for Downtown Marion passed, the one for Marion CANDO died for the lack of a second.

While the full City Council later took up the issue, no final decision was made and it’s unclear if CANDO will receive City funding this year.

The Finance Committee of Marion City Council discussed several financial issues at their meeting Tuesday evening, including the first nine days of the 2012 budget, the amount of funds paid out to laid off City police officers, mandatory income tax filing, and pension pick up payments for firefighters and City Council.

With the resignation of the Marion County Dog Warden, Marion County Sheriff Tim Bailey has taken over control of the department’s operation. While they are attempting to maintain the current services, the Sheriff is asking for patience as they work out the operational details over the coming days and weeks.

A planned merging of the City of Marion’s Recreation and Parks Departments will result in several of changes, but the most sudden and dramatic will be the closure of the City’s Recreation Center.

City Council is expected to vote to approve the changes at their organizational meeting on January 2 at 7:30pm. The meeting will include the swearing in of the new City Council and votes on the 2012 budget and the department merger.

Strong feelings were expressed at the end of the Marion City Council meeting Monday evening. The discussion included a plea from the Marion FOP president, a councilman calling for other cuts, and a resident stating that the police need to accept the layoffs because there is simply no money left.

Marion City Council’s Finance Committee discussed the 2012 budget Monday evening and, as expected, were told the situation will required deep cuts and layoffs of City employees. While the fire and police departments are expected to be hard hit, a plan for concessions could avert all layoffs of firefighters.

The final, unofficial results are in for the November 8, 2011 General Election. Voters in Marion County said no to every new tax, but approved renewal levies for local schools. The additional tax for Tri-Rivers, along with Turning Point, River Valley, and the sales tax increase for Marion County all failed. Scott Schertzer remains the Mayor of Marion after defeating Jim Gilsdorf by earning nearly 67 percent of the yes votes.

The team from Ohio State Marion won the 2011 United Way Hot Wing Eating Contest held Friday at Grant Middle School. The five-person team downed 139 wings in five minutes for the title. The winner for the last three years, Lowes, was made up of new eaters and didn’t even come close.

The Marion County Commissioners held an open forum Tuesday evening to explain the need for the half percent increase to the local sales tax. The event held at the Marion Public Library only drew a few people, but provided details on the county’s budget situation. Even with the explanation, many in attendance did not change their opposition to the measure. Several in fact were protesting the tax outside of the library.