Sunbury council approves hires, board appointments and K-9 fundraiser; explores baby-box grants

Sunbury City Council on Thursday approved a set of routine and personnel actions, including converting a part-time patrolman to full time and swearing in the officer, and authorized fundraising and appointments while directing staff to seek grant funding for a proposed baby box.

The council voted to convert a part-time patrolman to full-time at a pay grade listed in the meeting packet and swore in the officer during the session. After the motion and a second, the council recorded consent and the new officer repeated the oath, saying, “I am Neil Bogite.” Chief Slack participated in the swearing-in and noted the officer will complete full-time testing as part of the onboarding process.

Council also approved several appointments: Victoria Roche to the Board of Appeals; James Birbal to the Zoning Hearing Board; and Christine Rifepans to the Veil Service Commission. A separate motion to add a different candidate to the zoning board failed for lack of a second.

The council voted to accept an offer of $13,000 from Middleburg for the sale of a decommissioned 2022 Ford Explorer, approving the sale of the vehicle in "as-is" condition.

On community safety and fundraising, the council approved an electronics-recycling event to raise money for the municipal K-9 program and directed proceeds to the K-9 unit. The recycling event will be held on April 25 in the Ice Beam Ring parking lot, per announcements made during the meeting. Council members said the K-9 program had been discussed previously and that the fundraising drive is intended to avoid drawing regular operating costs from the general fund.

Separately, the council discussed a proposed baby box — a confidential drop-off for infants used in some jurisdictions — and received an estimated construction and installation cost of $20,000–$30,000. The council granted staff (including Renee and the police department) permission to explore grants and partnerships but reiterated the project would not move forward until all funds are secured.

The meeting included routine financial business: approval of abstracts and vouchers for multiple funds, including a general-fund vouchers line of $68,643.39 and payroll items, and several procedural approvals such as a fee schedule for the ice-skating facility.

The meeting adjourned after a full public-comment period that included questions about code enforcement, noise complaints and community events.

What happens next: staff were directed to pursue grant opportunities for the baby box, proceed with planning for the electronics-recycling fundraiser for the K-9 unit and complete personnel onboarding steps for the newly hired patrol officer.