0 Facebook 0 Twitter 0 Facebook-messenger 0 Whatsapp 0 Email This roadmap arrives immediately following the January 21, 2026, resignation of City Auditor Miranda Meginness, whose tenure ended as state accountability measures were enacted. These financial failures are described as the culmination of 15 years of “Silent Sabotage”—systemic issues with software and internal controls as […]
Written by marion-watch
0 Facebook 0 Twitter 0 Facebook-messenger 0 Whatsapp 0 Email MARION, OH — In a move that sends shockwaves through Marion’s City Hall, City Auditor Miranda Meginness has officially tendered her resignation, effective immediately. In a searing resignation letter dated January 21, 2026, Meginness cited a “broken beyond belief” office environment, a lack of support […]
Written by swamp-fox
0 Facebook 0 Twitter 0 Facebook-messenger 0 Whatsapp 0 Email Marion Area Transit, as you may or may not know, receives most of its operational funding from the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) in the form of grants. These ODOT grants reimburse the city for most of its costs associated with transit. If you look […]
Written by marion-watch
0 Facebook 0 Twitter 0 Facebook-messenger 0 Whatsapp 0 Email On January 13, 2026, a significant escalation in the oversight of Marion’s finances occurred as three City Council members filed sworn affidavits with the Ohio Auditor of State (AOS). These filings allege systemic accounting failures and improper financial conduct by City Auditor Miranda Meginness, supported […]
Written by swamp-fox
0 Facebook 0 Twitter 0 Facebook-messenger 0 Whatsapp 0 Email As the city of Marion looks into the replacement of current city auditor, Miranda Meginness, the question arises as to who will be her replacement. The auditor has many responsibilities, serving as the city’s chief fiscal officer. The auditor handles the city’s books, accounts for […]
Written by marion-watch
0 Facebook 0 Twitter 0 Facebook-messenger 0 Whatsapp 0 Email The January 12, 2026, Marion City Council meeting served as a public post-mortem for a transition that has officially jeopardized the city’s financial integrity. In a move that signaled a total breakdown in communication, City Auditor Miranda Meginness was notably absent from the chambers, leaving […]
Written by marion-watch
0 Facebook 0 Twitter 0 Facebook-messenger 0 Whatsapp 0 Email Tempers finally boiled over at last night’s council committee meeting. What started as a routine update quickly turned into a heated debate over the city’s disastrous switch to the ADP payroll system. The “Swamp-Fox” team at Marion Watch has been digging into this for weeks, […]
Written by swamp-fox
0 Facebook 0 Twitter 0 Facebook-messenger 0 Whatsapp 0 Email If the city of Marion wasn’t already having enough problems, now there’s this. Marion City Council voted 8-0 on 02/24/2025 to contract with Automatic Data Processing (ADP), the largest payroll software company in the world, to handle its payroll processing. ADP, as a matter of […]
Written by marion-watch
0 Facebook 0 Twitter 0 Facebook-messenger 0 Whatsapp 0 Email The below letter was emailed to all sitting members of Marion City Council and Mayor Collins today. Relevant articles can be found in the “Relevant Articles” section following the letter contents. To the Current Members of Marion City Council: The financial and technical stability of […]
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0 Facebook 0 Twitter 0 Facebook-messenger 0 Whatsapp 0 Email Weighing 80 tons and measuring 140′ in length and 7′ in diameter, the Baker Wood Preserving Company installed two of these mammoth tubes at its factory located at the northwest corner of Kenton Avenue (aka State Route 309) and Holland Road in January 1937. Each […]
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0 Facebook 0 Twitter 0 Facebook-messenger 0 Whatsapp 0 Email The city of Marion will be receiving a sizeable forgivable loan to upgrade its Water Pollution Control Center and leachate system. At the council meeting held on the 22nd of December, it was announced that the city of Columbus had somewhat secretively received a large […]
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0 Facebook 0 Twitter 0 Facebook-messenger 0 Whatsapp 0 Email In a defining broadcast of The Watchmen’s Report, the City of Marion’s spiraling financial crisis was not just reported—it was dissected by experts who confirmed what “onlooker investigations” have suspected for years. Hosts Cody Higgley andJason Foreman, a seasoned Systems Administrator, were joined by Councilman […]
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0 Facebook 0 Twitter 0 Facebook-messenger 0 Whatsapp 0 Email Hosts: Cody Higgley, Jason Foreman, Robert Landon Special Guest: Councilman Ron Prater (6th Ward) The Watchmen’s Report broadcast on December 9, 2025, provided a detailed breakdown of the Marion City Council meeting held the previous evening. The panel—hosts Cody Higgley, Jason Foreman, and Robert Landon—was […]
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0 Facebook 0 Twitter 0 Facebook-messenger 0 Whatsapp 0 Email ANALYSIS: The City Admits “New World” is Broken—But New Software Alone Won’t Fix the $9 Million Mystery Without a Close Look! On December 8, 2025, Mayor Bill Collins confirmed the City of Marion is facing an estimated $9 million deficit and a financial system that […]
Written by marion-watch
0 Facebook 0 Twitter 0 Facebook-messenger 0 Whatsapp 0 Email On December 3, 2025, senior staff, Auditor Miranda Meginness, Deputy Auditor Marden Watts, and City Council Finance Chair Twila Laing (R-4th Ward) met with Cindy and Amy from the Auditor of State’s office. The following is a summary of that meeting and the steps identified […]
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1 Facebook 0 Twitter 0 Facebook-messenger 0 Whatsapp 0 Email Mayor Bill Collins (R) gave the following response on that issue during the regular meeting of Marion City Council that occurred on the 24th of November 2025. Here’s what he said: Councilman Thad Smith (R-5th Ward): “Can we squash some of the rumors going around […]
Written by marion-watch
0 Facebook 0 Twitter 0 Facebook-messenger 0 Whatsapp 0 Email In May 2025, it was announced by the Marion City Auditor’s office that there was over $1,000,000 in delinquent income taxes owed to the city of Marion. That’s a sizeable amount of money, which was legally and lawfully owed to the city of Marion pursuant […]
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0 Facebook 0 Twitter 0 Facebook-messenger 0 Whatsapp 0 Email Established in 1959 as a temporary tax to generate supplementary revenue at a rate of 0.60%, the city of Marion’s municipal income tax–which now stands at a rate of 2.00%– has grown to become both a permanent feature of the city’s finances, as well as […]
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0 Facebook 0 Twitter 0 Facebook-messenger 0 Whatsapp 0 Email For years, Marion Watch Investigates has delivered one core truth about our city’s financial records: The books are not dependable. We stated clearly and repeatedly that the city’s digital ledger was functionally unauditable because the essential digital safety features—like proper reconciliation methods and software safety […]
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0 Facebook 0 Twitter 0 Facebook-messenger 0 Whatsapp 0 Email You’ve likely heard it said that “there’s no such thing as a free lunch,” but it could also be said, when it comes to Marion Area Transit, there’s no such thing as a free ride. Everything comes at a cost. But just how costly is […]
Written by marion-watch
0 Facebook 0 Twitter 0 Facebook-messenger 0 Whatsapp 0 Email Mayor Bill Collins issued a stark communication to city leadership yesterday, outlining what he described as an incredibly “trying week” for the City of Marion. The email details two major developing stories: an immediate payroll disruption and a massive projected financial deficit for 2026 that […]
Written by marion-watch
0 Facebook 0 Twitter 0 Facebook-messenger 0 Whatsapp 0 Email 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 […]
Written by marion-watch
0 Facebook 0 Twitter 0 Facebook-messenger 0 Whatsapp 0 Email For more than a decade, Marion’s financial system operated with a silent flaw—a General Ledger (GL) override buried inside its accounting software. Installed in July 2009, this override allowed city employees to bypass legal spending limits, triggering a cascade of overspending and ballooning negative balances. […]
Written by marion-watch
0 Facebook 0 Twitter 0 Facebook-messenger 0 Whatsapp 0 Email For 21 years, the City of Marion had an Information Systems Committee on its books, a committee with the power to oversee every piece of the city’s technology. Yet, as a Marion Watch investigation reveals, according to official Marion City Council Summaries, this committee was […]
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0 Facebook 0 Twitter 0 Facebook-messenger 0 Whatsapp 0 Email Marion Mayor Bill Collins has formally requested assistance from the Ohio Auditor of State to conduct a full forensic IT audit of the city’s computer systems. The mayor’s request is based on extensive research compiled and submitted by us, Marionwatch.com Investigates. We have recommended the […]
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0 Facebook 0 Twitter 0 Facebook-messenger 0 Whatsapp 0 Email The Marion City Council’s Finance Committee voted unanimously (3-0) on Monday to advance a “cleanup” ordinance openly accusing the Auditor’s office of “misfeasance, malfeasance, and or nonfeasance” for paying a $58,000 bill without council approval. The strongly-worded legislation now moves to the full City Council, […]
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0 Facebook 0 Twitter 0 Facebook-messenger 0 Whatsapp 0 Email Anthony Azaria, the Democratic candidate for Marion’s Sixth Ward Council seat, appeared on a recent episode of the Watchman’s Report to discuss his candidacy, delivering a message deeply rooted in his personal experiences with addiction, recovery, and the daily struggles he witnesses in the community. […]
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0 Facebook 0 Twitter 1 Facebook-messenger 0 Whatsapp 0 Email A Note from Marion Watch Investigates: Our team at Marion Watch was originally investigating a different matter concerning Marion’s City Council and other agencies in the late 1970s when we stumbled across a series of extremely concerning circumstances recorded in official council minutes, and newpaper […]
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Council Rejects Can Do, Mayor Proposes New City-Led Economic Development Role Charter Commission Announced
Written by marion-watch
Voices Rise in Marion: Citizens Challenge Leadership on Transit, Transparency, and Governance.
On Monday, a tumultuous Night at Marion City Council: Voices Heard Amidst Deep-Seated Concerns.
Written by marion-watch
A contentious Marion City Hall meeting saw a mayoral proposal to limit public access spark citizen protest and council division. The “Can Do” organization faced financial scrutiny, contrasting with strong community support for Leapin’ Ministries. The meeting ended with unresolved issues, highlighting concerns over trust and transparency in local governance.