Marion is committed to creating a vibrant community; a welcoming community that is accessible, attractive and open to all residents and visitors.

In March 2023, the Marion City Council adopted an equity statement to keep the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion top of mind. Look for it to be incorporated on the City website, in the Employee Handbook and as part of the Strategic Plan and other guiding documents.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are principles that bind us together to create a community where everyone belongs. The City of Marion is fully dedicated to addressing systems of inequity while building an accessible community where people of all cultures and identities can thrive. The City expects that its employees embrace this vision of inclusion and will strongly encourage its residents and community partners to do the same. By fulfilling this commitment, the City of Marion envisions a community that is inclusive and preserves the dignity of all people.

In 2022, the City continued its work to build out the $1.2 million records management system, which will allow for enhanced data collection by the Police Department. The project went live in February 2023.

Employee training was another focus and several positions/departments within the City received a variety of equity-related trainings. Trainings ranged from sensory certifications, intercultural competence, implicit bias, having difficult conversations about race and DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion & belonging) to name a few.

Another highlight from 2022 includes the Police Department taking a strategic approach to recruitment for both sworn and non-sworn positions within the department.

The City stands by its commitment to becoming a more diverse, high-performing and inclusive organization.