The Marion Town Council convened on Tuesday, September 2, with a more professional tone than recent meetings. The session moved quickly, yet covered a wide range of topics, from citizen concerns about homelessness to updates on town projects and council discussions over staff holidays and sanitation.
The evening opened with several residents voicing concerns.
Becky Oakes said she was “tired of reading everything bad on social media” and wanted to know what was really happening in town. She urged the community to come together and tackle ongoing issues such as homelessness. “I know we are not a stupid people,” she said. “With the right frame of mind and come togetherness we should be able to solve this.” Oakes added that she wanted to hear updates on Mr. Parks’ property herself, noting, “I will be here and hear for myself.”
Vickie Hale shared a troubling incident outside her home where she awoke to find smoldering ashes from what appeared to be a fire. “It took 17 gallons of water to get the smoldering stopped,” she explained, adding that she did not know how it had started. Hale described other concerns in her neighborhood, including someone attempting to enter a car three houses down and a man wandering the streets “constantly saying the F word and always doing things with his hands.” She questioned his mental state and raised worries about the town’s public image.
Councilwoman Tricia Spencer responded, advising residents to call police about such incidents. “I do think when you see these incidents the police have so much better resources than your council person does,” Spencer said. “The police are who we have to call unfortunately because they know where to take these people.” Hale recalled she had previously contacted police when inappropriate notes were posted on Main Street utility poles, and officers removed them. It seemed that Hale was not pleased with Spencer’s commentary. In my opinion it came off as rather dismissive of the issue rather than helpful.
Roger Bowman pushed back on Spencer’s remarks, noting that both she and fellow council member J.S. Staley had previously stated that “they cannot do anything.” Chief Kevin Testerman confirmed that Marion Police Department can only intervene when an individual poses a threat to themselves or others.
David Fulton raised financial transparency concerns. He asked about the possibility of paying water bills at Walmart, whether citizens could obtain a list of property violations, and how much a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request would cost. He also questioned why residents had “never been told how much money is in the bank,” adding, “I for one would like to know what’s in the bank account for the council.”
Councilwoman Susie Jennings proposed aligning town staff holidays with state holidays, noting that employees currently work when banks and counties are closed. “They are not able to do all of their work and these other places observe the state holidays,” Jennings said adding that it would cost approximately an additional $10,000.
Councilman Hunter Atwell scheduled a sanitation committee meeting now that Jennings had returned from travel/absence because he wanted all committee members to be in attendance. Councilman Todd May raised ongoing complaints about trash pickup, proposing residents be allowed to place trash out the day before and bring cans back in the day after allocating more time. The mayor suggested this issue be referred to the sanitation committee for recommendations. Jennings clarified that current ordinance timeframes are insufficient. The mayor added, “Until then we can tap the brakes on enforcement on those items.”
The mayor announced the upcoming Virginia Municipal League (VML) conference in Roanoke on October 12–14, encouraging council members to participate. He also urged residents to attend local football games and support student activities, noting, “If Mayor Helms were here tonight, he would be wearing an orange jersey because Chilhowie won.”
Chief Testerman reported that he and other Marion Police Department members attended the Virginia Chiefs of Police conference in Williamsburg, where they met gubernatorial candidates. Detective Sexton has completed polygraph training, and the department will soon have its own polygraph machine.
Chief Keeling of Fire and Rescue reported 220 calls in August, surpassing last year’s pace. The department responded to three fires within the last 24 hours: a storage building fire, a car fire involving a Subaru, and a stove fire inside a residence. All were contained without injuries.
Ken Heath, Economic Development Director, noted ribbon cuttings for Windy City Dogs and Main Street Florists. He also announced sign-ups for the upcoming chili cook-off and craft fair on Broad Street.
Town Manager Billy Hamm reported progress on the South Main sewer project, East Main water line testing, and near-completion of radio-read meter installation. Work also continues on the new playground and pickleball courts. Hamm confirmed he met with Market Street families and Mount Rogers representatives regarding concerns over a quadplex, and a system is in place for addressing future questions.
Later discussion circled back to homelessness and safety. Councilman Atwell requested that Hamm meet with both Oakes and Hale to address their concerns. Councilwoman Hayes asked if posting “No Trespassing” signs would enable law enforcement to take stronger action. Chief Testerman explained that officers could issue summonses on behalf of property owners, even without posted signs, if owners verbally instructed trespassers to leave. He also encouraged residents to form neighborhood text groups, similar to a neighborhood watch system, and pointed to resources available through the Mt. Rogers Crisis Center.
The mayor called the discussion “healthy” and expressed satisfaction.
This meeting stood out for its professionalism and efficiency compared to recent sessions, which have often been more contentious. Still, concerns linger, particularly surrounding the August 6 property abatement at a Henry Street residence and other hot button issues. A newly surfaced video is expected to bring renewed scrutiny, and a follow-up article will address the latest developments.
You can read about the disturbing arrest and abatement of private property here:
The disturbing video about the Town of Marion actions during this seizure can be watched here:
https://rumble.com/v6ydtr4-town-of-marion-government-overreach.html
