The Marion Planning Board is examining whether it needs to get involved in the town’s long term planning – with an eye towards better management of local assets.
At the board’s Monday, April 2 meeting, Ted North presented the first out of four presentations on the state of Marion. He spoke of the need to get a handle on the town’s current and future debts, especially as the town’s capital needs grow.
In his PowerPoint presentation, North provided an “80,000 feet from above” overview of the town of Marion – which is made up of 3,626 residents and 2,417 taxpayers. He said that 30 percent of residents are 60 and over and likely living on a fixed income, and meanwhile the town is currently facing $57 million in debt but only bringing in about $22 million in revenues per year.
“[The annual town revenue] is not a lot of money,” he said. The recently drafted Denver Broncos Quarterback Peyton Manning, he said, “is making more money than the total revenue of Marion.”
North criticized the recently proposed $27 million sewer project that he said would cost each taxpayer $46,000 to $50,000 over a ten-year period.
“It’s a big number for a town this size,” he said.
Given the challenges ahead in maintaining current capital projects and future needs – such as upgrading the sewer plant which is nearing the end of its 15-year life cycle, maintaining the water tower, and addressing the leaking lagoon issues – that the need for strong fiscal planning and coordination is great.
“This town is not very good at planning. Right now … we’re headed for a physical and fiscal train wreck unless we do some decent coordination of planning on this stuff,” North said.
“We have to spend our money wisely. Every time we issue a 20-year bond, you’ve committed a generation to pay that debt,” he added.
The board was overall receptive to North’s message.
“That was excellent,” said Sherman Briggs of the presentation.
“It’s a wake up call,” said Chairman Jay Ryder. Although he said it remains to be seen what role the Planning Board will play, “I think [North] and the Capital Planning Committee are charting a decisive path for us.”
In other agenda items at the meeting, the board sailed through two public hearings on proposed amendments to current zoning bylaws. These amendments will be considered at the Marion’s May 21 Annual Town Meeting.
One warrant article on accessory association piers would allow residents to construct them even if their lots do not currently conform to zoning requirements. Specifically, bylaw language would allow pier construction for property that abides by current zoning “or was lawfully in existence on May 1, 1996”.
The second warrant article concerns accessory dwelling units, and would increase the allowable square footage for them from 850 to 1,200 square feet.
Marion resident Richard Shafer provided the only comment on either warrant article, and he spoke in favor of them.
“What’s proposed here makes a lot of sense. The rug was pulled from under a lot of people’s feet when this was unwittingly done,” he said of the up-zoning bylaws in the 1990s that restricted pier construction.
Shafer said, however, that a similar bylaw was voted down in recent years and urged the Planning Board to review concerns presented at that time before Town Meeting.
Lastly, Ryder reported that construction of the new two-story Cumberland Farms is going well.
“Every comment I’ve heard is positive. The building looks good,” he said.
By Laura Fedak Pedulli