The Sunbury City Events and Commemorations Committee on Oct. 21 reviewed revisions to the city’s special-event permit policy, a decision-making matrix, the supplemental AC power request form and the special-event permit application that city staff plan to bring to City Council for approval.

The changes formalize several long-standing practices and add new requirements. The updated decision matrix marks an event as requiring council approval when it will “substantially limit the use of the facility by others for more than 6 hours and is attended by more than 50 participants,” raising the threshold from prior guidance. Staff told the committee the change is intended to allow staff to process smaller or routine events without returning repeatedly to council.

The revised permit policy adds J. R. Smith Park to the list of shelter-house rental locations and lists an additional preapproved road-closure segment: the portion of North Miller Drive from the Big Walnut High School access drive to Myers Drive. The policy also adds language that the city and event organizers may consult with outside agencies, including the Ohio Department of Transportation, and that state-route impacts will require the appropriate state permits.

The packet also updates operational requirements: temporary service meters now require a permit and inspection from the Delaware County Building Safety Department before an event; vendors using supplemental AC power must submit a vendor power request form to city staff at least four weeks before an event; and silent generators are explicitly allowed in addition to other generator types. City staff said the supplemental AC power request and vendor-submitted forms are intended to ensure the city can verify electrical capacity ahead of events.

Police special-duty rates were revised after consultation with Deputy Chief Wade: $55 per hour (minimum three hours) for nonprofit organizations, $65 per hour (minimum three hours) for for-profit organizations, and an additional $10 per hour when a “march cruiser” is requested. The packet adds a higher officer rate for events on holidays and establishes a cancellation window and required cancellation email address; staff said the effective date will be set when the policy is presented to council.

The packet’s decision-making matrix also clarifies event categories. The committee removed some recurring items (for example, the Easter egg hunt) from the matrix where they fall below the new threshold, and it added a notation that events outside normal park hours—such as certain night events at Kinslow Disc Golf Course—must go to council because a city ordinance closes parks at dusk. Committee members said that practice reflects long-standing local procedure, not a new statutory requirement.

Staff told the committee the committee may waive the usual review period and ask for immediate council approval by majority vote of City Council if an organizer misses the standard timeline and an expedited decision is necessary. The committee also discussed clarifying which events are preapproved (such as Christmas on the Square) and which changes to a preapproved event would require returning to council—for example, a new parade route or a new event that would close streets but has not been preapproved.

The committee did not adopt the policy at the meeting. Staff said they will finalize remaining edits, consult with legal counsel, present the documents to the finance committee so all council members can review them, and then ask City Council to adopt the amended policy at a future meeting.

Ending: Committee members said the changes are intended to streamline approvals for routine events while preserving council review for new or large-impact street closures. Staff will return with the revised packet to the committee and later to City Council for formal adoption.