City officials told the Sept. 3 Sunbury Council meeting they intend to pursue a phased elimination of the city’s inside millage — the unvoted proportion of property tax that currently yields about 2.5 mills for the city — but cautioned the plan faces legal and procedural barriers.

Mayor Joe Saint John and City Administrator Hennessy (identified in the meeting as the city administrator) said council agreed in a prior meeting to “reduce it by a third each of the next three years,” but both warned that the Ohio Constitution and the Delaware County Budget Commission control aspects of millage allocation. “The state constitution is making it pretty hard for us to just do that without having the risk of another entity picking up that inside millage,” the mayor said, referring to the possibility that a county, school district or township could claim the unvoted capacity if the city eliminates it.

Staff described options under study with outside counsel and bond counsel, including legislative avenues at the state level. The administrator said the city’s near‑term approach, if the rate cannot be adjusted this budget cycle, is to set aside one‑third of anticipated inside‑millage revenue into a reserve account rather than spend it — effectively reducing dependence on the revenue while protecting taxpayers from a sudden reallocation by another taxing authority. The administrator said staff will continue legal review and outreach with the county budget commission and state lawmakers.

Council members voiced concern about unvoted increases tied to rising property values and discussed possible alternatives — including income or consumption taxes at higher government levels — but did not adopt a formal ordinance at the Sept. 3 meeting. A bill often referenced in the discussion (noted in the meeting as “HB 335” or similar) was described as not final and still under development by legislators; staff said its status does not yet resolve the city’s legal constraints.

No formal vote to change the millage rate occurred at the Sept. 3 meeting. Officials said they will return with more technical analysis and legal guidance at the next council meeting and continue discussions with county and state partners.