In noting that 2016 was Sunbury’s Bicentennial year, Mayor Tommy Hatfield said the older he becomes the more he appreciates the history, the tradition, and the uniqueness of the village.

“We are blessed to live in a great community,” Hatfield said on Jan. 4. “We have something special in Sunbury, something to be proud of. As our slogan says: Small Town, Big Ideas, a Perfect Balance. Sunbury is just that.

“Sunbury still feels like a small town,” Hatfield continued. “We have a sense of community, belongingness, and pride. These are values that are instilled in the residents of Sunbury and could easily be seen throughout the yearlong Bicentennial Celebration.”

Hatfield delivered a State of the Village address last Wednesday evening as he does each year during the annual Reorganization meeting.

Hatfield also noted that 2016 was a year full of unprecedented change and challenges.

“But in the end, Sunbury continues to move forward and embrace progress and change,” Hatfield added. “Financially, Sunbury is in great shape. While this is a constant balancing act for the village, our goal continues to maintain our low tax rate while providing the best services possible. The village has continued to reduce our indebtedness while maintaining a conservative approach to incurring additional expenses. We continue to prepare, plan, and execute our plans to keep the village on track for our future.”

During the reorganization portion of the meeting, Dave Miller was selected to serve as council’s 2017 President Pro Tempore (for the present time).

Miller recommended that council’s committee responsibilities remain relatively unchanged.

Sunbury Village Council’s Finance Committee, a committee of the whole of council, will continue to meet at 6:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday of every month in Sunbury Town Hall, third floor council chambers.

Council’s Services Committee, responsible for building maintenance, streets, and sanitary and storm sewers, meets at 6:30 p.m. on the first Wednesday of every month in third floor council chambers. Tom Zalewski, Len Weatherby, and Miller will sit on Services.

Council’s Parks & Safety Committee (a.k.a. Parks & Recreation) is responsible for parks, village activities, safety, and the village cemetery. Parks will continue to meet at 6:30 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month on the second floor of Town Hall. Council members Scott Weatherby, Joe Gochenour, and Tim Gose will sit on Parks.

Gochenour, Scott Weatherby, and Gose sit on council’s Technology Committee. The Technology Committee is responsible for village website policies and procedures and village technology recommendations. Council’s Tech Committee meets as needed.

Miller will serve as Big Walnut Local School District Board of Education liaison, with Gose and Sunbury Mayor Tommy Hatfield serving as alternates. The board of education meets at 6:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month at the Big Walnut Administration Building, 110 Tippett Court in Sunbury, unless an alternate time or location is announced.

Zalewski will continue to serve as Sunbury’s representative on the BST&G Fire District Board of Trustees, with Scott Weatherby serving as alternate.

One change for 2017 is the village representative attending Delaware County Regional Planning Commission (DCRPC) meetings at 6:30 p.m. on the last Thursday of every month at the Willis Building in Delaware. This year’s representatives will be Gose, Gochenour, and Scott Weatherby.

Miller, the village clerk, Myers Inn Museum Curator Polly Horn, and Village Solicitor David Brehm will continue to sit on the Village Records Committee. Records meets at least two times each year, meeting dates to be determined.

Len Weatherby will continue to serve as council’s representative on the Village of Sunbury Planning & Zoning Commission. Gochenour serves as an at-large zoning commission member. As mayor, Hatfield also serves as a voting member of Zoning. The Zoning Commission meets at 7 p.m. on the fourth Monday of each month in Town Hall Council Chambers.

All Sunbury Village Council and council committee meetings are open to the public.