This fall, Worthington voters will see four separate charter amendments on the ballot. Three of them, Issues #35, #36, and #38, all touch the referendum process, but come from very different places and point in very different directions. The fourth, Issue #37, is unrelated to referendums but is still worth your attention. We want to make sure you understand each one before you vote.

Recommended by: Charter Review Commission

The Chamber's position: Vote YES

Worthington's City Charter currently gives residents 60 days to collect signatures for a zoning-related referendum petition, a much longer window than the City provides for other ordinances, which already have just 20 days. State law generally defaults to 30 days. The Charter Review Commission, whose members were carefully selected council-appointed community builders, found Worthington's 60-day zoning window to be a Central Ohio outlier.

The Commission's own findings noted that this extended timeframe deters investment in the community. When a zoning decision can be held in limbo for 60 days while signatures are collected, businesses and developers face uncertainty that most other Central Ohio communities do not impose. Projects sit idle. Costs accumulate. And investors take note.

Issue #35 would reduce the zoning-specific signature window from 60 days to 30, splitting the difference between the City's existing 20-day window for other ordinances and the current 60-day zoning window. It keeps a somewhat longer runway for zoning matters, recognizing that they often draw broader public interest, while bringing Worthington in line with its peers.

The Worthington Area Chamber of Commerce encourages a YES vote on Issue #35.

Recommended by: Charter Review Commission

The Chamber's position: Vote YES

Separate from the timing question, the Charter also addresses how many signatures are needed to put a referendum on the ballot. Worthington's Charter has historically deferred to state law on this threshold. Last year, that state standard jumped to 35% of voters, a bar the Commission felt was too onerous for a City Charter that had long operated closer to 10%.

Issue #36 would set a City standard of 10% of voters in the last gubernatorial election, insulating Worthington's threshold from future swings in state law while keeping it anchored to a higher-turnout, more representative election.

This is worth reading alongside Issue #38 below. Both address the same threshold question, but they arrive at very different answers, and voters will see both on the same ballot.

The Worthington Area Chamber of Commerce encourages a YES vote on Issue #36.

Originated by: Citizen petition campaign

The Chamber's position: Vote NO

A separate citizen petition campaign has placed a third referendum-related amendment on the ballot. Like Issue #36, the “Our City, Our Vote” amendment would lower the signature threshold to 10%. But it differs from the Commission's version in two important ways.

First, it calculates that 10% based on turnout in the last municipal election rather than the last gubernatorial election. Far fewer residents vote in municipal elections, so the practical effect is a threshold that would likely require roughly 300 fewer signatures than even Issue #36's version, well below the pre-2025 standard the Commission is trying to restore.

Second, it broadens what can be put to referendum beyond ordinances to “any measure,” a vague standard that could put nearly any City Council action up for reversal after it has already gone through Worthington's extensive public review process.

Worthington's Charter already gives residents a direct voice at multiple points: electing the council members who make these decisions, weighing in during the public hearings that precede every zoning or policy vote, and petitioning for a referendum when they disagree with the outcome. Issue #38 doesn't add a new voice to that process; it lowers how many people are needed to override it after the fact, on virtually any subject. That's a meaningful shift in how much weight elected, accountable decision-making carries in Worthington versus how easily a small, self-selected group can reopen it.

To be clear, the Chamber is not opposed to referendums. They are a legitimate part of self-governance, and Issue #36 above reflects that. Our concern with Issue #38 is that the bar would be so low and the scope so broad that nearly any council decision on development or business activity could be reopened by a small fraction of residents after months of public deliberation have already concluded. That uncertainty doesn't just affect projects already underway; it can influence whether Worthington pursues opportunities at all.

The Worthington Area Chamber of Commerce encourages a NO vote on Issue #38.

Recommended by: Charter Review Commission

The Chamber's position: Vote YES

Issue #37 doesn't touch the referendum process, so it stands apart from the three questions above. It updates Charter terminology, technology references, and procedures to reflect current state law and practice. The most meaningful change is creating a single Development Review Commission that consolidates the Municipal Planning Commission, Architectural Review Board, and Board of Zoning Appeals into one body.

For any business or developer working on a project in Worthington, this is a meaningful, practical improvement. Today, a single project can require separate hearings before multiple boards, each running on its own meeting cycle. Consolidating those bodies means a more streamlined, predictable review process, which is exactly the kind of change the Chamber likes to see.

The Worthington Area Chamber of Commerce encourages a YES vote on Issue #37.

Issues #35, #36, and #38 all involve referendums and signatures, but they ask voters to decide different things, and they lead to very different outcomes for Worthington's future.

Issues #35 and #36 come from the Charter Review Commission's measured, evidence-based review and move Worthington into closer alignment with peer communities. Issue #38 moves in a different direction, making Worthington an outlier and making it easier to challenge decisions that have already gone through our city's deliberate public process. Issue #37 stands apart from all three: it isn't about referendums at all, but it delivers a practical, streamlined review process that benefits any business or developer working in Worthington.

We encourage every Worthington voter, resident, and business owner alike to read all four questions carefully this fall.

For more information on the Charter Review Commission's full recommendations, visit worthington.org/2458. For more on the Our City, Our Vote petition amendment, visit ourcityourvoteworthington.org.