CITIZENS FOR THE CHARTER COMMISSION · WORTHINGTON, OHIO
Update the Charter. Modernize our City.
Issues 35, 36, and 37 are the work of 11 of our neighbors on the Charter Review Commission. Six public meetings. More than 150 comments from residents. A modernized City Charter, shaped by Worthington residents, that keeps our city moving forward.
WHO WE ARE
Neighbors who appreciate a job well done
We are Citizens for the Charter Commission, a group of Worthington residents and community members who appreciate the work our neighbors on the Charter Review Commission put into the 2026 City Charter Review. The Charter is Worthington’s local constitution, and the City must review it at least every ten years. This year, City Council appointed 11 Worthington residents to do that work. They went through the Charter article by article, asked the public for comments, and produced Issues 35, 36, and 37.
WHAT’S ON OUR BALLOT
Three issues. One up-to-date charter.
✓ ISSUE 35 · VOTE YES
Yes to a balanced approach
A 30-day petition window. Shortens the time to collect signatures for a zoning referendum from 60 to 30 days, balancing the opportunity to petition with a more timely, predictable process.
A YES vote means: residents retain 30 days to petition a zoning decision, while Worthington moves to a timeframe consistent with most Central Ohio communities the Commission reviewed.
Charter sections 1.04, 2.17, and 2.19.
✓ ISSUE 36 · VOTE YES
Yes to a voice for residents
Back to the 10% standard. Sets the number of signatures needed for a referendum petition at 10% of the people who voted in the last election for governor. That was the standard under state law for years, until the state raised it to 35% last year.
A YES vote means: the 10% standard Worthington used for decades, written into our own Charter rather than set by state law, while keeping clear what decisions can be challenged by referendum.
Charter section 1.05.
✓ ISSUE 37 · VOTE YES
Yes to a simpler process
A charter that matches today. Updates the Charter for today’s laws, technology, and City practices. One Municipal Development Commission, which reviews building and zoning plans, replaces three separate boards, creating a more streamlined public review process. Referendums can go on primary and special election ballots instead of waiting up to 15 months for the next general election.
A YES vote means: a clearer, modernized charter that reflects how the City operates today.
✕ ISSUE 38 · VOTE NO
Issue 38 is not the Commission’s plan
Petitioners placed Issue 38 on the ballot, and the Charter Review Commission did not recommend it. Its backers did not bring their proposal to the Commission’s public meetings, where it could have been weighed alongside everything else.
Both Issue 36 and Issue 38 would lower the signature requirement to 10%. The difference is how that 10% is counted, and what it applies to. Issue 38 counts voters in the last city election, an odd-year election with far lower turnout than a race for governor. That works out to about 300 fewer signatures.
More importantly, Issue 38 opens “any measure” to referendum, not just ordinances. Routine Council decisions could be paused and put to a referendum, grinding our city to a halt.
Simply put: Issue 36 is the Commission’s answer to the state’s 35% rule. Issue 38 skipped the public process and goes too far. Vote YES on 36 and NO on 38.
HOW WE GOT HERE
Democracy at work
City Council appointed 11 of our neighbors, residents, volunteers, and friends to the Charter Review Commission. Every meeting was open, every document was public, and every comment was heard. The process that got us here was democracy at work.
SPRING 2026
Six public meetings
April 14, April 21, May 12, May 26, June 9, and June 23. Residents were invited to come and take part, and every document was posted on the City’s website.
SUMMER 2026
More than 150 comments
The draft changes were posted online and at the Community Center, the Griswold Center, and the Municipal Building. The Commission considered each one.
JULY 13 & 20
Council hearings
Council heard more public comment at two meetings, then voted to put Issues 35, 36, and 37 on the November ballot.
NOVEMBER 3
Our vote
The last step belongs to all of us. Vote YES on 35, 36, and 37, and NO on 38, and keep Worthington moving forward.
MAKE IT COUNT
Pledge to vote YES
Planning now makes Election Day easy. Tell us you’re in, and we’ll send one reminder before early voting opens and one before Election Day.
I'm voting YES on 35, 36 and 37
FROM THE CITY
Watch the City’s video series
Short videos from the City of Worthington that walk through the proposed changes. We will add each new one here as it comes out.
FROM THE CHARTER COMMISSION
Read the recommendations
Every change, the part of the charter it touches, and why the Commission proposed it, published by the City of Worthington.
- Full report and recommendations
The Commission’s summary of every proposed change and its reasoning. - June 2026 Letter to the Community
- Ballot language for Issue 35
- Ballot language for Issue 36
- Ballot language for Issue 37
- 2026 CRC Market Day Flyer
- Redlined Charter
The current Charter with every addition and deletion marked. - Meeting agenda packets
All six public meetings held by the Commission.
GOOD QUESTIONS
What our neighbors have been asking
Is any of this a tax or a levy?
No. Issues 35, 36, and 37 change the City Charter. None of them are taxes or fees.
Aren’t Issue 36 and Issue 38 both about signatures?
Yes, and both would set it at 10%. Issue 36 counts 10% of the voters in the last election for governor and applies to ordinances, the way Worthington’s rule worked for years. Issue 38 counts 10% of a low-turnout city election, about 300 fewer signatures, and lets “any measure” be challenged.
I heard Issue 38 is about apartments?
Issue 38 does not approve or block any new buildings in Worthington. It changes how referendums work: fewer signatures, measured against a low-turnout election, and any Council decision could be paused and put to a vote.
What if Issue 36 and Issue 38 both pass?
The Commission planned for this. Its recommendations add a rule to the Charter: when two conflicting amendments pass at the same election, the one with more votes prevails. So the margin matters. Vote YES on 36 and NO on 38!
LEND A HAND
Three easy ways to help
AN HOUR OR TWO
Volunteer
Hand out flyers, talk with our neighbors, or help at an event before Election Day.
SHOW YOUR SUPPORT
Get a yard sign
Tell us where to drop one off. Nothing says YES like a sign on your lawn.
GET THE WORD OUT
Chip in
Every dollar buys yard signs, door hangers, and handouts, and helps spread the word before November 3.
Vote for Worthington on Tuesday, November 3
REGISTER BY
October 5
Check or update your registration at VoteOhio.gov.
EARLY VOTING BEGINS
October 6
Vote early in person or request a mail ballot.
ELECTION DAY
November 3
Polls are open 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.