MARION — Marion Town Meeting approved over $3.3 million in funding for Town House renovations on Monday, May 12.

Accessibility improvements, a fire suppression system and a new HVAC system are among the renovations that will be added to the Town House.

Building Commissioner Bob Grillo stated that these renovations are a top priority for Marion as the building currently lacks code compliance.

The approved funding comes from $300,000 worth of free cash and almost $3 million from borrowed funds, requiring a proposition 2 ½ debt exclusion that will temporarily raise taxes in Marion by an additional $64.64 for each household per year during the length of the project.

The project will now appear on the Town Election ballot on May 16 for voters to allow for a Proposition 2½ debt exclusion.

Proposition 2½ prevents towns from increasing the property tax levy more than 2.5% each year without voters’ approval. Debt exclusions allow for a temporary tax increase above the 2.5% limit to repay borrowing for a specific project per voters’ approval.

The Marion Finance Committee did not recommend these renovations, proposing an amendment at Town Meeting to eliminate the proposed HVAC system in the Town House to reduce the project cost by over $600,000.\

Shay Assad, Chair of the Finance Committee, called the HVAC system a “nice-to-have” rather than a necessity.

Geoffrey Gorman, Town Administrator, asserted that the HVAC system is “not an optional upgrade.” The town is currently unable to host meetings in the Town House during summertime due to the extreme heat, which the HVAC systems would alleviate.

“It’s going to do a tremendous amount of benefit for not only the residents that come and visit in the heat of summer, but also for the people that spend eight hours a day every day doing the business of the town,” he said.

Marion resident Edward Hoffer also voiced his support for the new HVAC system and renovations, calling the amendment “penny wise, pound foolish.”

“This work is going to have to be done. It’ll cost more, and we’re just kicking the can down the road,” he said.

Resident Jon Henry also supported the renovations, stating that ADA compliance is necessary.

“As a father of a profoundly handicapped son, I certainly want to see this ADA compliance done as soon as possible,” he said.

Resident Christopher Welch declared his opposition and described the Town House as a “money pit,” furthering that it’s inefficient and not optimal for the functions of the town.

“We’re gonna be dishing out millions of dollars year to year,” said Welch. “It’s time to break our love of the history and move to constructing a new facility.”

Ultimately, the renovations were approved with a two-thirds majority.