The Marion City Council passed several pieces of legislation during its May 26, 2026 meeting, focusing on temporary property leases, renewable energy installations, public safety grants, and future administrative changes that will appear on the ballot this fall. Goodwill Leases City Property for Sorting Facility Council members voted unanimously to pass a short-term emergency lease […]
Written by marionwatch-investigates
Across the United States, a quiet but catastrophic vulnerability plagues local governments: the unchecked decay of information technology (IT) governance and financial controls. Often hidden behind closed doors and heavily masked by the inherent complexity of modern accounting software, these structural failures do more than just drain public funds and corrupt municipal data. They create […]
Stretched Thin: Marion Fire Department Struggles with High Call Volumes Amid City’s Financial Crisis
Written by marionwatch-investigates
A Day of Exhausted Resources On May 14, 2026, the Marion Fire Department’s Crew 1 was pushed to the absolute limit, responding to a staggering 32 squad calls. The alarming reality, however, was that they were forced to handle this massive volume with only two primary medic units. To keep up with the emergencies, […]
Written by marionwatch-investigates
From New World ERP’s first misconfigured day in July 2009 to the Auditor of Stateordering the budget-checking override permissions locked down in October 2025 —the receipts have been here the entire time. . Executive Summary The City of Marion, Ohio, implemented the New World ERP accounting system in July 2009. From the […]
Written by marionwatch-investigates
The Marion City Fire Department recently delivered a sobering update to the community: due to a severe financial crisis facing the city, daily staffing is being drastically reduced, and firefighters are voluntarily foregoing pay raises in 2026 to help stabilize the budget. Daily personnel will drop from thirteen to just eleven, and Marion City Fire […]
Written by marionwatch-investigates
In the professional disciplines of enterprise IT infrastructure and financial auditing, discovering widespread systemic failure triggers an absolute, non-negotiable mandate: the crisis must be traced back to its root origin. Information technology (IT) and financial standards demand that issues as extensive as that of Marion be investigated until the foundational cause is exposed, not artificially […]
Written by marionwatch-investigates
Official Marion City Council minutes, explicitly cross-referenced with the extensive “Silent Sabotage” investigative archive, reveal a chilling reality: the fiscal chaos at the end of the Schertzer administration was not a sudden accident of incompetence. It was the climax of a 40-year erosion of financial and IT controls, engineered and weaponized during the final hours […]
Written by Swamp.Fox
Although sales taxes, property taxes and income taxes get all the attention, the real estate transfer tax is another relatively recent tax that is used to fund local government at the county level. Prior to 1967, if you sold your home in the state of Ohio, you got to keep all of the proceeds–minus what […]
Written by Swamp.Fox
At tonight’s regular session of Marion City Council, the collective bargaining agreement between the city and the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local 379 was approved. Unlike in prior years, which were for three years, this contract was for one year and covers a term from 04/01/2026 to 03/31/2027. Submitted to council by Mayor […]
Written by marionwatch-investigates
The current political landscape in Marion County has reached a point of significant friction following the broadcast of the recent Candidates Night forum for the 2026 Commissioner race. This tension, culminated in a public exchange between candidate Jason Schaber and Sheriff Matt Bayles regarding the historical handling of the city’s 2011–2012 fiscal crisis. Sheriff Bayles […]
Written by Swamp.Fox
Remember that quote from Jerry McGuire? You know, “Show me the money!!!” The same could be said when it comes to the Marion County Commissioners. Show me the money!!! As you can see from the attached chart that gives a breakdown of the county’s General Fund revenues between 2009 and 2024–which comes directly from the […]
Written by Swamp.Fox
Whoever wins the May 5th Republican primary for Marion County Commissioner will receive a handsome salary of $81,150 in 2027, $85,208 in 2028, and $89,468 in 2029–plus generous benefits! According to the Federal Reserve, the median household income in Marion County in 2024 was $63,276. I don’t know about you, but I think this commissioner […]
Written by Swamp.Fox
Daily adult admission for the Lincoln Park Aquatics Center in the city of Marion will increase from its current rate of $7.00 to $9.00, while annual memberships (without the early-bird discount) for a family of up to six will jump from $275.00 to $315.00. As you can see from the attached chart, daily admission and […]
Written by Swamp.Fox
Just how much money is involved in a Marion County Commissioner primary? Well, here’s the campaign finance figures from the last Republican commissioner primary race, which was held back on 03/19/2024. I’d show the numbers for the Dems, but they didn’t run a candidate that year (or this year). The top three contributors for each […]
Written by Swamp.Fox
Although it hasn’t come up yet, if history is a guide, depending on who wins the upcoming Republican primary for Marion County Commissioner on May 5th and becomes your next member of the three-person board, taxpayers may soon find themselves paying more in taxes to continue funding excessive spending by county government. Current Marion County […]
Written by Swamp.Fox
Back in March 2024, there were two seats open on the Marion County Board of Commissioners. longtime Republican incumbent Andy Appelfeller was challenged by Tim Mooney, while incumbent Kerr Murray was challenged by Kevin Davidson and Jason Schaber. As you can see from the results, Appelfeller retained his seat on the board, defeating Mooney by […]
Written by Swamp.Fox
Three days ago, the ole Swamp Fox drafted up ten questions to be posed to the four Republican primary candidates for Marion County Commissioner: Jason Schaber, Tim Mooney, Christy Neff and Ken Stiverson. Mr. Schaber is the first and only candidate to respond, so far. These folks are facing off in the Republican primary, which […]
Written by Swamp.Fox
During last night’s Marion City Council committee meetings, the guest speaker was a representative of Flock Safety, the company that supplies the city and county’s 34 license plate surveillance cameras that have been in place since 2023. The contract with Flock will be expiring this year and with both the city and county facing substantial […]
Written by Swamp.Fox
By special request from a few loyal followers, the Swamp Fox started digging into the financials of Marion City Schools. Man… why is it that EVERY SINGLE GOVERNMENT ENTITY is being fiscally irresponsible and spending beyond it means!? The Swamp Fox is wearing himself out, folks. He can’t keep this up. There’s way too much […]
Written by Swamp.Fox
Remember the good old days when schools were filled with a bunch of students, a good number of teachers, and a few administrators? Nowadays, it seems most schools are filled with fewer students, about the same number of teachers, and an exorbitant number of administrators. Education in 21st century America is less about teaching and […]
Written by Swamp.Fox
The Swamp Fox’s pointy little fur covered ears were burning tonight, as he heard his name brought up during budget discussions at the regular session of Marion City Council. A courageous citizen addressed council and asked why the city’s proposed expense budget for 2026 actually increases expenditures over 2025 instead of cutting them by the […]
Written by Swamp.Fox
The Swamp Fox wants to apologize for using such similar headlines for these budget articles, but it’s literally the same story over and over again with each city department it seems. Or at least with the costly ones who are represented by powerful unions (FOP/OLC, IAFF, AFSCME, and USW). The whole goal of this fiscal […]
Written by Swamp.Fox
The ole Swamp Fox has been digging deep into the budgets for each of the city of Marion’s departments, so don’t think that he’s picking on the police or doesn’t “Back the Blue.” Underneath that furry coat of red and white, he’s got a blue stripe tattoo to show his support for those who protect […]
Written by Swamp.Fox
Here’s a breakdown of actual expenses for Marion Area Transit (MAT) between 2023 and 2025, alongside the projected expenses for the first 2026 budget that was proposed on 11/17/2025 and the most recent revised 2026 budget (version #4 if you’re keeping track) that is up for consideration by council. As you can see, despite the […]
Written by Swamp.Fox
Following the recent resignation of the city’s Director of Public Service, Mike Bodine, and in an effort to save money and increase efficiency during this period of fiscal distress, the city’s Director of Public Safety, Rob Cowell, has been suggested for the appointment of the newly reconsolidated position of Director of Public Safety & Service. […]
Written by Swamp.Fox
Allow me to preface this headline by pointing out that the actual budget expense figures for 2025 come from the most recent budget worksheet that has been published on the city’s website. I assume that those figures have been finalized but given the city’s situation with reconciliation and overall accounting, it may not be safe […]
Written by Swamp.Fox
At this point, the city of Marion has proposed three budgets for 2026–with another one being proposed in Finance Committee at tonight’s meeting. There has been a lot of talk about cuts and fee increases, given the city’s present status of fiscal distress, but has the budget really been reduced compared to 2025 as has […]
Written by Swamp.Fox
The ole Swamp Fox has heard some folks complaining about the staffing and budget increases of the Marion Police Department in recent years, so he decided to pull some figures to see if there’s any merit to the complaints. As you can see from the attached image, staffing levels in the MPD jumped from 55 […]
Written by Swamp.Fox
There’s been some folks who have been commenting about the pay of city workers, so the Ole Swamp Fox decided to do some digging into the salary and benefits data of the city of Marion over the past few years. According to the Federal Reserve, the national average increase in employment cost (salaries & benefits) […]
Written by Swamp.Fox
At this point The Swamp Fox may as well change his name to The Sanitation Fox. He’s been digging into the garbage, big time. Although he couldn’t track down the revenues received by Marion’s Sanitation Department for each year between 2017 and 2025, he was able to locate the expenditures for those years–as well as […]
Written by marionwatch-investigates
Following our recent coverage of proposed budget cuts at Marionwatch.com, Mayor Bill Collins has issued a formal address to the community. In a “Fiction vs. Fact” breakdown, the Mayor is attempting to clear the air regarding the city’s $8.8 million deficit and the state-mandated recovery plan currently in motion. If you’ve been following the news […]
Written by Swamp.Fox
Finding itself in fiscal distress, the city of Marion is faced with some difficult choices, being pressured by the Ohio Auditor of State to either fix the financial mess on their own or else the state of Ohio will take over management of the city. Among the city’s fiscal challenges is an $8.9 million dollar […]
Written by marionwatch-investigates
The proposed hikes to Marion’s utility rates and bus fares are not simply a response to inflation—they are the direct, painful consequence of the systemic financial mismanagement and IT governance failures that Marionwatch.com Investigates has been documenting for the past year and began reporting on in 2019, with our initial suspicions beginning to prove true […]
Written by Swamp.Fox
With the city of Marion currently considering the elimination of the 100% income tax credit provided to city residents who work elsewhere and pay income taxes to another municipality, now is a good time to share the story of how Marion came to have an income tax. Prior to the 1st of June 1959, if […]
Written by Swamp.Fox
The Swamp Fox has already posted about this topic–many weeks ago–so it isn’t exactly breaking news at this point–but it’s just now getting the attention of Marion residents, so here he goes once again. Let’s start with an example, using a hypothetical Marion man named John. John lives in Marion but works in Crestline. Both […]
Written by marionwatch-investigates
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 “will never be accurate.” But the numbers are only half […]
Written by marionwatch-investigates
A Marion Watch “External Observer Forensic IT Investigation” The Anatomy of a Predicted Collapse (2009–2025) To the public, Marion’s financial chaos from 2009 to 2021 looked like human error blamed on “complex software.” To IT professionals, however, these were red flags of deliberate sabotage. Our investigation, which began with rumors of password sharing, suspicion increased […]
Written by marionwatch-investigates
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 controls—were either disabled and intentionally misconfigured. **Clarification added 11/26/25: At […]
Written by marionwatch-investigates
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. The override was only disabled on October 27, 2025, after […]
Written by marionwatch-investigates
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 a ghost. For 19 consecutive years, its members were unknown, […]
Written by marionwatch-investigates
Former Marion City Auditor Robert Landon has issued a press release claiming that recent audit findings and reviews by outside firms have “definitively verified” the systemic financial and software issues he reported during his tenure. As requested, Marion Watch Investigates is presenting Mr. Landon’s statement in full. Following the press release, we are providing elaboration […]
Written by marionwatch-investigates
Marion Watch Investigates has completed its preliminary review of the City of Marion’s Single Audit for the fiscal year 2021, a report that was filed over three years late. The findings, issued by the Ohio Auditor of State, paint a devastating picture of a city government in a state of severe operational failure. A predictable […]
Written by marionwatch-investigates
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, this committee was a ghost. For 19 consecutive years, its members were unknown, it held no recorded meetings, and it […]
Written by marionwatch-investigates
In our previous article, “Marion Watch Predicts: Old, Unsafe Computer Habits Likely Still Harming City Finances,” we laid out our theory: decades of financial mismanagement signal a broken “control culture” in Marion, one in which we predict that Identity and Access Management (IAM) failures, such as improper access privileges and password sharing, are still rampant. […]
Written by marionwatch-investigates
Beginning Sunday night and into Monday morning Marion Watch Investigates teams were reaching out to officials for comment on rumors of fraud in the City’s Fahey account. All city council advised that they were told not to comment on this and another rumor about possible findings for recovery or other citations by the Ohio Auditor […]
Written by marionwatch-investigates
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, escalating a months-long conflict over unapproved spending and other violations. […]
Written by marionwatch-investigates
Marion At-Large Councilman Ralph Smith delivered a forceful assessment of the city’s financial crisis during his October 8, 2025, appearance on the Watchmen’s Report, arguing that a breakdown in IT security and political will has created a multi-year budget mess. Smith, whose technical background includes serving as a highly specialized 34 Delta (Data Processing Equipment […]
Written by marionwatch-investigates
In a marathon session of committee meetings that stretched late into the evening, Marion’s city leaders grappled with ambitious plans for the future while simultaneously confronting deep-seated frustrations over present-day administrative failures. The Monday night meeting was characterized by some tension, swinging from forward-looking proposals to heated, pointed exchanges that laid bare significant friction between […]
Written by marionwatch-investigates
Marion City Councilwoman and FInance Committee Chairwoman Twila Laing’s appearance on The Watchman’s Report exposed a long-standing financial crisis rooted in the deliberate or negligent disabling of core software security controls. A fervent supporter of the Marion City Charter initiative, she echoed officials and citizens that finances are the top driver for the charter, and […]
Written by marionwatch-investigates
Brian Lovell, a candidate seeking a seat on the Marion City Charter Commission, has delivered a powerful indictment of the city’s current statutory governance, labeling its financial system the primary impediment to progress, echoing the views of nearly all elected officials and citizens we have spoken with since December. During a recent appearance on The […]
Written by marionwatch-investigates
The financial crisis documented in local Marion financial and information technology records fits the profile of systemic fraud mechanisms targeted and uncovered by Department of Justice (DOJ) and federal investigative agencies. The crisis is not merely local incompetence; it is intentional technical systems manipulation—a decades-long pattern of vulnerability and criminal concealment known as “Silent Sabotage.” […]
Written by marionwatch-investigates
The financial crisis gripping Marion, Ohio, is not a recent event. It is a four-decade or longer story of systemic failure, where broken rules and compromised computer systems allowed insiders to commit and conceal fraud—a pattern we call “Silent Sabotage.” This crisis is confirmed by records showing severe breaches of global IT and financial standards […]
Written by marionwatch-investigates
Official Response on Marion’s Financial and IT Problems We’ve received an important email from the Ohio Auditor of State’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) about the serious financial and computer system problems in the City of Marion. Our initial complaint to them, which you can see parts of in the attached emails, talked about issues that […]
Written by marionwatch-investigates
Marion City Council Grapples with Financial Chaos, Software Woes, IT Audit, and a Push for Accountability in Spirited August 4th Meeting
Written by marionwatch-investigates
Marion Council Tackles Charter Vote, Financial Scrutiny, and Alleged IT Misconduct
Written by marionwatch-investigates
Marion’s Auditor faces IT failures, data falsification, and legal woes, eroding public trust and costing taxpayers.
Written by marionwatch-investigates
Marion, Ohio continues to face significant, long-standing fiscal challenges rooted in decades of documented financial mismanagement and increasing, often unnoticed, debt since the late 1990s. This extensive report, significantly shaped by the work and input of Marion citizens, details the cumulative crisis, focusing on the Auditor’s office since 1999. MarionWatch aims to inform residents about the issues’ deep origins, empowering them for future decisions, as many were unaware of the problem’s multi-decade history. Following a long-standing practice via its community action network, MarionWatch shared article drafts with numerous citizens for review before publication. The investigation reveals persistent oversight and planning failures impacting services and public trust. Meaningful recovery requires fundamental transparency, accountability, and long-term planning. Informed citizen engagement, including attending city council meetings, is vital for building a stable future.
A Quick Look: Marion’s Auditor Office: A Decades-Long Disaster Zone (Full Investigation Coming Soon)
Written by marionwatch-investigates
The Marion, Ohio, Auditor’s office faces a financial storm, with current Auditor Meginness accused of misappropriating funds and concealing IRS penalties. This follows years of financial mismanagement, including a predecessor’s resignation and issues dating back to 1999. Persistent failures raise questions about systemic weaknesses and the need for lasting reforms. MarionWatch will release its Auditor Investigative report soon!