As the current City Council wraps up its term, City Manager Robyn Stewart presented a comprehensive update Monday on the city's two-year policy agenda, highlighting significant accomplishments while identifying items that will need attention from the incoming council in January.
The update comes as the council prepares for its final meeting—a celebration scheduled for later this month—and marks the end of what members characterized as an unprecedented period of strategic, community-driven planning.
A New Approach to Governance
Council President Rachael Dorothy, reflecting on her time in office since 2021, emphasized how the current policy agenda represents a departure from past practices.
"Throughout those years, we did start talking about how our plate was full and we had a lot on the table and things would fall off," Dorothy said. "And we didn't usually catch them and put them back on. They'd get forgotten about and we'd go back and circle back and it would be too late."
The current approach traces back to a 2019 community visioning process that led to vision implementation teams, a council retreat, and ultimately the formal policy agenda adopted in early 2024. Dorothy noted the agenda prioritized two ideas from each vision implementation area, sequenced in logical fashion.
Major Accomplishments
Stewart's update identified numerous completed or in-progress items, with council members highlighting several achievements:
Outdoor Pool: After 15 years of community discussion, voters approved a levy and the city finalized lease arrangements with Swim Inc. Monday night.
Housing Initiatives: The council adopted a new Workforce Housing Tax Abatement Program earlier in the meeting.
SAFER Program: The age-friendly services program continues to expand, with staff currently in final stages of background and reference checks to fill a service coordinator position.
Age-Friendly Initiatives: The city has made progress on initiatives to support residents of all ages and abilities.
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Items Moved to "Do Next"
Stewart identified four items that have been moved from the "Do Now" to the "Do Next" category for consideration by the incoming council:
Arts Committee Task Force: Stewart had previously moved this item to "Do Now" but determined staff working on the Worthington Together comprehensive plan update didn't have bandwidth to properly support an arts task force. "As much as I really wanted to be able to kick off and support an arts committee task force, I didn't feel like we had enough staff bandwidth to do that well," she said.
Northeast Area Plan Recommendations: Two items—funding options for redevelopment and property owner/business conversations—were deferred due to a vacancy in the economic development position. Stewart noted the city is in final interview stages for that role and expects to turn attention to these items after the first of the year.
Worthington Mile External Funding: The city has submitted applications for federal and LinkUS transit-supported infrastructure funding, but neither was successful. The federal attributable funding program operates on a two-year cycle with applications due next summer, while LinkUS will update its five-year plan in the future.
Stewart noted the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board has been evaluating citywide priorities for bike and pedestrian infrastructure and is expected to present recommendations to council in January or February.
Council Pride in Strategic Planning
Councilmember Beth Kowalczyk emphasized what she sees as unique about the current agenda.
"In the eight years that I've served on council, we have not had an agenda that was fully informed by what residents and stakeholders in our community have indicated they wanted to see," Kowalczyk said. "This visioning process was comprehensive... Having a strategic plan that is built on that foundation has so much credibility to it and validity to it."
Kowalczyk also praised the visual "placemat" document that tracks items moving through the Do Now, Do Next, and Done categories—something she said she'd never seen before in terms of tracking council priorities.
Stewart noted an updated version of the placemat reflecting December 2025 changes would be posted to the city's website, as the agenda packet inadvertently included an older September 2025 version.
Financial Update
Finance Director Scott Bartter presented the November financial report, noting the city remains in good financial shape. Net profit tax collections are up 15%—about $600,000 over 2024 collections through November—though withholding taxes were slightly lower. Bartter noted that net profit payments can fluctuate, as businesses may pay estimates and then receive refunds if actual tax liability is lower.
Looking Forward
The incoming council will be asked to review items that haven't yet started and decide whether to continue pursuing them. Stewart indicated staff will also discuss any additional items that might be added to a newly adopted policy agenda.
Dorothy expressed pride in what the council has accomplished. "People don't think that we do a lot, and I think we've accomplished quite a bit," she said, thanking both council colleagues and staff for their contributions.