By 1808Delaware
A citizen-proposed amendment addressing data center construction in Sunbury will go before city voters this fall after receiving unanimous approval for ballot placement from Sunbury City Council. Council approved Ordinance 2026.24 during its July 15 meeting, directing the clerk of council to certify the proposed charter amendment to the Delaware County Board of Elections for placement on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot.
The proposal would add Article XI, Section 11.05 to the Sunbury Charter under the heading “Prohibition of Construction of a Data Center.” Voters, rather than council members, will make the final decision on whether the amendment is adopted.
Petition Signatures Verified
The ordinance states that petitions supporting the amendment were signed by the required number of Sunbury electors and that those signatures were verified by the Delaware County Board of Elections. During the public-comment portion of the meeting, resident Alicia Dodie thanked city officials for moving the petitions through the required process.
“First, I’d like to thank you for your timely processing of the charter amendment petitions submitted by residents,” she said. “Your efficiency is recognized and appreciated.”
Later in the meeting, Mayor Joseph St. John also recognized the work involved in gathering the signatures.
“I acknowledge the petitioners’ efforts to obtain these signatures that have been validated in a very short period of time,” St. John said. “To everybody that was involved in that process, we are taking this through the process.”
Council Acts Unanimously
Council first voted to suspend its normal procedural rules so Ordinance 2026.24 could be considered and approved that evening. All voted in favor. Council then voted on the ordinance itself, with all six members again voting yes.
The ordinance took effect immediately upon passage under the provisions of the Sunbury Charter.
Council’s action did not amount to an endorsement or rejection of the proposed amendment. Because petitioners submitted the required number of verified signatures, the city was legally required to send the question to voters. The ordinance cites Article XVIII, Section 9 of the Ohio Constitution as requiring Sunbury’s legislative authority to provide for submission of the proposed amendment to the elections board.
Voters Will Make The Final Decision
The amendment will be presented to qualified Sunbury electors during regular voting hours on November 3 at polling locations established by the Delaware County Board of Elections.
The clerk of council must certify the ordinance to the elections board and instruct the board to place the amendment question on the ballot in accordance with state and local election laws. The city must also mail a copy of the proposed charter amendment to every elector whose name appeared on the registration or poll books for the city’s last regular or general election. That mailing must take place no fewer than 30 days before the November election.
The amendment language was submitted to the city as an exhibit accompanying the citizen petitions. The three-page copy of Ordinance 2026.24 identifies the proposed section and its title, but the exhibit containing the complete amendment language was not included in that ordinance document.
The Latest Change Proposed For A New Charter
Sunbury’s current charter was originally adopted on January 1, 2020. The ordinance also notes that voters approved amendments recommended by the city’s Charter Review Commission at the November 4, 2025 general election. The newest proposed change came directly from residents rather than the Charter Review Commission or City Council.
With the petition signatures verified and the certification ordinance approved, the citizen initiative now moves to its final stage. On November 3, Sunbury voters will decide whether the proposed prohibition involving data center construction should become part of the city’s charter.
