Charter review commission recommends move to city manager; Sunbury council advances amendments to ballot

The Charter Review Commission delivered its summary to Sunbury City Council on Wednesday and council introduced an ordinance to place the proposed charter amendments before voters in the Nov. 4, 2025 general election.

Randy Rentz, identified at the meeting as chair of the Charter Review Commission, told council the commission had completed a systematic review and produced a redlined version of the charter showing proposed edits. “In your packet this evening on page 139, Mister Darrell has provided a good synopsis of what we are recommending,” Rentz said during his presentation.

City Administrator Joe Hennessy flagged what he described as the commission’s most substantive recommended change: moving from Sunbury’s current council-administrator arrangement to a city manager form of government. “I made the recommendation, to move to a a city manager form of government,” Hennessy told council, citing concerns that the current structure leaves the mayor handling some immediate operational responsibilities for police and emergency matters.

Council discussed the timing and frequency of future charter reviews; the proposed amendment includes language that would set the regular review interval to no more than 10 years. The ordinance introduced at first reading directs the clerk to certify the charter amendments to the Delaware County Board of Elections for placement on the Nov. 4 ballot.

Rentz and staff said the commission’s packet includes a summary and a full redline showing all changes and that council will have two more readings before final action. Hennessy said staff and the commission can provide additional detail if council members have questions before later readings.