Written by Multiple members of the Collins administration confirmed a significant payroll disruption affecting city employees today, Friday, November 21, 2025, which came to light after Marion Watch reached out to the administration regarding rumors of employees not being paid.
The core issue was the failure to release payroll funds to the processing company, ADP.
Ongoing Lack of Competency Cited
This current payroll crisis, which occurred on the go-live date for the new ADP payroll system, is being framed by the Collins administration as part of a recurring pattern. A pattern that the Marion Watch Investigates teams have witnessed firsthand recently as part of our decades long research of this office.
The Collins administration has repeatedly advised both publicly and privately that the lack of competency of the Marion City Auditor’s office and the lack of communication between the administration and that office has been an ongoing problem since the Collins administration took office in 2024.
Payroll Failure and Resolution
The current disruption was directly caused, as advised by the Collins administration, by Deputy Auditor Marden Watts failing to send the necessary money to ADP to release to the banks.
”My phone started ringing at 7:00 this morning because city employees are not getting paid… there was no communication between the auditor and the deputy auditor. Marden messed up and didn’t release the funds to ADP” stated one member of the Collins administration who cannot currently go on record, a disclosure that will come at a future date.
Councilman Ralph Smith advised the following regarding this failure:
“It’s unfortunate that our city employees have to suffer for the mistake made by the Auditor’s Office. I say Auditor’s Office instead of Deputy Auditor because I feel both Auditor and Deputy are responsible. In a project as important as a “go live” date for payroll of the City, it should have been “all hands on deck” with a detailed checklist of items to be performed to insure a smooth, error free transition. There was a lack of attention to detail and a lack of supervision.”
The problem was initially discovered late yesterday, after business hours, delaying any corrective action until this morning.
The administration confirmed they mobilized early this morning, and funds have now been released and ADP is processing the payments to employee banks.
Payment Delays and Accusations
Despite the swift action taken today, payment delays are certain. The Collins administration notes that because each bank has its own policy on posting received payments, some employees may not see their pay until tomorrow (Saturday) or possibly Monday, maybe later.
In light of the ongoing issues and the timing of the failure, the aforementioned Collins administration official issued a strong statement:
”I call this again sabotage by Mr. Watts just to make sure things don’t go smoothly.”
Ongoing Scrutiny: Financial and Communication Failures
The current payroll disruption, which delayed city employees’ wages, is not an isolated incident but rather the latest public manifestation of severe and ongoing financial, controls, and communication issues originating from the Marion City Auditor’s office.
As repeatedly noted by multiple members of the Collins administration—statements that have been tracked by Marion Watch—the office, and specifically Deputy Auditor Marden Watts and Miranda Meginness, has demonstrated a “lack of competency” and “lack of communication” that has plagued city operations since the beginning of the Collins administration in 2024.
The failure of Deputy Watts to release the necessary payroll funds to ADP on the “go-live date for the new ADP payroll system” is seen by the administration as a continuation of this pattern, with the administration again calling the action “silent sabotage.” These recurring issues have repeatedly placed the city’s essential functions, and now its employees’ wages, at risk, bringing the internal management of the Auditor’s office under ongoing intense public scrutiny.