Today, we have 60 days to gather signatures against a zoning change. That rule dates to 2015, when a ballot issue raised it from 20 days.

Sixty days makes Worthington an outlier. Of the 16 Central Ohio cities the Charter Commission studied, 12 give 30 days and only one gives 60 days for zoning changes. State law gives 30 days to any city that doesn’t set its own.

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Issue 35 sets it at 30 days. That’s still 10 more days than Worthington gave before 2015, and 10 more days than other city laws get before they take effect. And if Issue 36 passes, there are far fewer signatures to gather in those 30 days: 10% of the voters in the last governor’s race instead of today's 35%.

Issue 38 sets the standard to the last citywide general election. Basing signatures on low-turnout elections means just a few hundred residents could send any Council ordinance or measure to a citywide vote and pause it until then, which could be as far as 15 months away.

Keeping 60 days and adding Issue 38 is a recipe for trouble; Worthington would have one of the longest petition windows in Central Ohio and an even lower signature bar than it used from 1956 to 2025.

A fair window that keeps Worthington competitive with our neighbors.

Vote YES on 35, 36, and 37, and NO on 38.