The Marion City Council should not give its blessing to a .25 percent increase in the local option income tax tonight. The tax hike, sold with the promise that it will go to public safety agencies, which deserve more attention, will only enable municipal government to siphon off the revenue it now spends on public safety and divert to other areas. We frankly are skeptical that police and fire operations will gain ground with this tax hike. We fear it will allow further reckless spending, which has become a hallmark of the Marion administration of Wayne Seybold.
The city has been unclear about what it has done with other public money for projects never completed. There have been some documents turned over the Chronicle-Tribune, which are being reviewed. But at this point it remains uncertain where all the money went. Given the financial shape the city finds itself in, we feel an accounting is in order.
