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1. What is a municipal charter?

A municipal charter is a legal document created by residents that establishes how a municipality is organized and operates.  It is often described as a constitution for a municipality. 

2. Why is a charter important?

A charter provides a municipality with maximum control over its organizational structure, administrative procedures and other matters of local concern. Municipalities without a charter operate in the generic framework imposed by state law, thus are limited in using Ohio’s municipal home rule authority. By adopting a charter, residents can tailor the structure and procedures of their municipal government to address the specific needs and preferences of the local community.

3. What subjects are covered in a charter?

Subjects typically covered in a charter include:

• Form of government
• Composition of council
• Legislative procedures
• Allocation of powers and responsibilities among municipal officials
• Administrative departments
• Personnel systems for municipal employees
• Boards and commissions
• Finance, taxation and debt limitations
• Elections, initiative, referendum and recall procedures

 

4. Why does Sunbury need a charter now?

As a result of population growth, Sunbury will officially transition from a village to a city following the release of the 2020 U.S. Census results. Because cities without a charter are organized differently and have a different statutory legal framework than villages, changes to Sunbury’s government will occur when Sunbury becomes a city. Adopting a charter is a way for Sunbury’s residents to better control those changes and determine how Sunbury’s government will operate in the future versus being forced to accept the de facto statutory framework.

5. Who decides if Sunbury adopts a charter?

Sunbury’s voters. In fact, successfully adopting a charter requires two different approvals from Sunbury’s voters. The first opportunity is this November, when voters get to decide whether or not to establish a charter commission and who gets to serve as members of the charter commission. If the charter commission is formed, Sunbury’s voters get the final approval of the charter that is proposed by the charter commission.

6. If the charter commission is formed, do voters still control whether to adopt a charter?

Correct. Voting “yes” to forming a charter commission this November merely gives the charter commission an opportunity to propose a charter for Sunbury. The proposed charter will be mailed to all Sunbury residents, who will have the opportunity to vote to adopt or reject the charter at the November 2019 election.

7. What is a charter commission?

A charter commission is an elected group of 15 Sunbury residents that will meet for approximately 10 months (from early December 2018 to late September 2019) to frame Sunbury’s charter. Charter commission meetings are open to the public.

8. What are the responsibilities of a charter commission member?

The charter commission will meet 1-2 times per month for approximately 10 months. Each meeting will last 2-3 hours. In addition to attending meetings, charter commission members will be expected to review material in between meetings so that they can be prepared to participate at the next meeting.

9. Who is eligible to serve on the charter commission?

With a couple exceptions, any Sunbury elector (i.e., Sunbury resident that is registered to vote) is eligible to serve on the charter commission. State law prohibits the village administrator and current village council members from serving on the charter commission.

10. How can a Sunbury resident run for a seat on the charter commission?

Eligible Sunbury residents must file a nominating petition with the Delaware County Board of Elections by August 22, 2018, to be placed on the ballot for the charter commission. The nominating petition must be signed by at least 25 registered Sunbury voters. (Tip: signatures on petitions are occasionally invalidated by the Board of Elections for technical reasons, such as the signature or address being unreadable, the signator is not actually a resident of Sunbury and registered to vote, etc., so it is advisable to collect more than 25 signatures to ensure that at least 25 signatures are valid.)

The Delaware County Board of Elections can be contacted regarding petitions at:

Phone:  740-833-2080

Address:  2079 US Highway 23 N, PO Box 8006, Delaware OH 43015

Email: boe@co.delaware.oh.us

Website:  http://delawareboe.org

Candidates that have successfully filed their nominating petitions with the Board of Election will be placed on the November 6, 2018 ballot for the charter commission. The 15 candidates receiving the most votes on November 6, 2018 will be elected to the charter commission.

11. Who at the Village should be contacted with further questions?

Steve Pyles, Administrator, spyles@sunburyohio.org

Daryl Hennessy, Assistant City Administrator, dhennessy@sunburyohio.org

Office Phone: 740-965-2684

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1. How do I rent a facility?

In order to rent space in the Town Hall, GRE Shelter house or Freedom Park Shelter house, it is necessary to complete an application. You can rent the first floor of the Town Hall only. View the guidelines (PDF) for renting these locations.

The cost is $25.00 each hour (up to 3 hours for a total of $75) or all day for $100, plus a $50.00 refundable deposit. The Town Hall is equipped with restroom facilities and a kitchen(there is no heating element available inside the kitchen).

In addition, the Shelter house at Freedom Park, and the Shelter house at General Rosecrans Park are available on a first come, first serve basis at no charge. Please check the calendar for availability. Reservations can be made by calling the Municipal Building at 740-965-2684 or emailing a copy of a completed application to aswain@sunburyohio.org

2. How do I report a pot hole, outage of a street light, or other concern?

You can report concerns to us using our Report A Concern.

3. How do I know I live in Sunbury?

Use this interactive map to determine if you live in Sunbury.

You can also check the Ohio Department of Taxation Online Services at Ohio Department of Taxation by entering your address and hitting the Lookup button.

4. How do I find out more about local income tax?

If you live in within the corporation of Sunbury, you are responsible to pay 1% income tax. Regional Income Tax Agency (RITA) provides services to collect income tax for our municipality.

5. How do I contact you?

Use our staff directory to find contact information.

6. How do I buy a cemetery plot?

Visit our Cemetery section to learn more about buy a plot.

7. I’m building a garage, fence, outbuilding, adding an addition, etc. Do I need a permit?

Visit our Zoning Department for more information about permits.

8. I’m new to Sunbury and need to set up my utilities. Who do I call?

Check out our New Resident Information for utilities.

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1. How do I get my vehicle released from impound?

In order to retrieve your vehicle from impound, you must come to the police department located at the:
Municipal Building
9 E Granville Street
Sunbury, OH 43074

Release Procedure

View more information about the release procedure.

2. How do I find out how much a waiver-able traffic ticket is?

• You can call the Sunbury Clerk of Courts at 740-965-2684 if the ticket was issued into Sunbury Magistrates Court.
• You can call the Delaware Municipal Court at 740-203-1570 if the ticket was issued into Delaware Municipal Court.
• You can go to Ohio Ticket Payments for more information. 

3. How do I contest a traffic ticket?

Traffic tickets may be contested by appearing in court on the date and time specified on the traffic ticket. Please make sure as to which court you were cited into before appearing:

• Juveniles will always appear in Juvenile Court
• Adults can be cited into Sunbury Magistrates Court or Delaware Municipal Court

4. How do I get a copy of a report?

Copies of all reports can be picked up in person or emailed to you upon request. Email request can be sent to Kathy Hixon at KHixon@sunburyohio.org. We are located on the corner of Columbus Street and Granville Street at:
Municipal Building
9 E Granville Street
Sunbury, OH 43074

740-965-3946

5. How do I get my fingerprints taken for civilian background checks?

The Sunbury Police Department will no longer complete the Civilian Background Check Fingerprint Cards. These will have to be done electronically at the Delaware County Sheriff's Office.

6. Do you do background checks?

Background checks can be done for local area residents only. If you live outside the jurisdiction of Sunbury you will have to have your background check signed by another agency.

7. Will you watch my house while I am away?

The Sunbury Police Department offers a vacation check / house watch program for residents who will be gone for any extended period of time. While this service doesn't guarantee you from loss, theft, damage or mischief it does offer a deterrent to persons who may be looking to access your home. Please stop by the Police Department to complete the proper paperwork to make this request or submit via the form below.

House Check Request Form

Protect Your Residence

Learn how you can take steps on your own to help prevent your residence from becoming a target of criminal activity.

8. How do I obtain an application to solicit in Sunbury?

Please complete application below, print and bring to Sunbury Police Department located at 9 East Granville St., Sunbury, OH  43074 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Monday-Friday.  At that time you will be required to show valid driver’s license, liability insurance card, and make payment. Please call 740-965-3946 with any questions.

REQUIREMENTS:

1.  Must give a copy of driver license to Police Department before you can solicit in the Village (One time only)
2.  All required county and/or state permits must be in order
3.  Alcohol or tobacco shall not be used while soliciting.
4.  Must have a copy of your Solicitor’s Permit on you at all time while working
5.  Need license plate # from all vehicle that will be in the village (please list on back of form)
6.  Any complaint of harassment permit license will be pulled immediately.

FEES:

  $25.00 per year (Refer to Ordinance 717.05) (2 badges per application)

Solicitor Notice of Intent Application

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1. Where are you located?

We are located at:

Sunbury Utilities Billing Department
9 E Granville Street
Sunbury OH  43074

The mailing address for the department is:

Sunbury Utilities Billing Department
P.O. Box 508
Sunbury, OH 43074

2. What are your hours?

Our hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, with the exception on holidays.

3. How often are sewer bills prepared?

Customers are billed for sewer every month. Sewer bills are prepared and ready on the second Tuesday of each month.

4. What is the late fee if not paid by the due date?

Any sewer bill not paid by the due date shall incur a penalty of 5% of such charge, which will be added to the next month’s bill.

5. When are sewer bills due?

Payment for your sewer bill is due on or before the 4th Tuesday of each month.  The actual due date is printed on the sewer bill.

6. How is my sewer bill calculated?

Sewer usage charges are based on your water consumption and are calculated as follows:

2019  

Dollars Per 1,000 Gallons                                                 $8.74

Effective January 1, 2019 and January 1^st of each subsequent calendar year for a period of 5 years ending on January 1, 2024, the sewer user charges will be increased by 3.5% per 1,000 gallons of flow being discharged into the sanitary sewer system.  The resulting charges, commencing January 1, 2019, and for subsequent years, are as follows:

Effective Date                                                            Effective Rate

 January 1, 2019                                                           $          8.74

January 1, 2020                                                                        9.05     

January 1, 2021                                                                        9.37

January 1, 2022                                                                        9.70                              

January 1, 2023                                                                      10.04

January 1, 2024                                                                      10.39

7. How can I pay my sewer bill?

• You may pay in person at the Utility Billing Department with a check or cash.
  • Note:  If making a cash payment, change cannot be given at the Utility Billing Department.  Any additional payment amount will be applied towards the next month’s sewer bill.  
• You may drop your payment into the after hour drop box, which is located outside the municipal building at 9 East Granville Street. 
• You may mail your payment to:
  Sunbury Utilities Department
  P.O. Box 508
  Sunbury OH 43074
• You may pay your sewer bill through your bank, using BillPay. Please make sure the correct account number, from the sewer bill you are paying, is on the payment.
• You may pay online using Invoice Cloud. Please be advised that there is a nominal fee that Invoice Cloud collects for their processing fee. 
• Landlords will need to create an account first, then "invite" their tenants in order for tenants to be able to pay online through Invoice Cloud. 

8. I have moved to Sunbury. What do I need to do to get sewer in my name?

Relevant Information

When setting up your sewer service, you will need the following information:

• Account holder's name
• Date moving in
• Email
• If renting, the property owner's name, email, phone number, address
• Mailing address (if different than service address - i.e., P.O. Box)
• Phone number
• Service address
• Complete the online Sewer Registration Form.

Del-Co Water

If you have not done so, you will also need to call Del-Co Water at 740-548-7746 to setup your water account. Del-Co water reads the meters in Sunbury, forwards us the reads, and we produce sewer bills based upon water usage. You must have a Delco water account in order to have a Sunbury sewer account.

9. I am moving. What do I need to do to terminate sewer service?

Relevant Information

When terminating sewer service, you will need the following information: 

• Account holder’s name
• Forwarding address (where the final bill is to be sent to)
• Service address
• Termination date
• Complete the online Sewer Termination Form.

10. Why is my sewer bill higher than normal?

If you have a higher sewer bill than normal, it could be you that you used more water consumption for the billing cycle. If you did not use any more water than normal, then you may have a leak somewhere. 

Leaks can cause dripping of hundreds of gallons of water down your drain.  Not only does a leak waste water, it causes you a higher water bill each month, which in turns reflects a higher sewer bill as well.  If you have a leak, get it repaired as soon as possible.

Common Culprits of Leaks

Check for leaks. The most common culprit is the toilet.

• Hot water heater:
  • Temperature and pressure valve
  • Drain valve
  • Water pooling underneath
• Humidifier (may have a small float with an overflow)
• Kitchen or bathroom faucet dripping
• Kitchen sprayer dripping
• Outside hose that has been left on
• Outside hose bibs dripping at handle
• Plumbing pipes leaking under sinks
• Showerhead or tub spout dripping
• Signs of moisture or mold on your walls, ceilings or floors (could indicate that a water pipe is wreaking havoc behind the scenes)
• Toilet leaking
  • Dye test - Remove the toilet tank lid. Place a few drops of food coloring or a Kool Aid packet in the tank water. Let it sit for 10 minutes. If color comes into the bowl, your toilet is leaking. Make sure you flush afterwards to avoid staining.
  • Continuous overflow leak - Remove the tank lid. Check to see if the water is not running over the vertical overflow tube. If it is, you have an overflow leak in the toilet.
• Underground leak
• Water softener (may have a recycle timer that is malfunctioning)
• Water supply lines leaking at appliances:
  • Dishwasher
  • Refrigerator with ice maker
  • Washing machine

Note: The above items listed are just some common plumbing items we suggest to check for water leaks. Sunbury is not responsible for your plumbing beyond the valve at the street, nor are we at any way obligated to investigate leaks in your plumbing or to offer any advice on how to fix them. Sunbury is not responsible for any damages or expenses due to your plumbing leaks.