Hello Worthington! Here's your recap of what happened at July 20's City Council meeting. Below are brief summaries of the most significant discussions. For those interested in the full details, we've included links to longer articles where appropriate.
Council Approves the Boundless Rezoning, 7-0
After a year of review council voted unanimously to rezone 20.4 acres of the Boundless campus at 445 East Granville Road for Elford Development's project: 246 apartments, 74 of them workforce units priced at 80% of area median income for at least 10 years, plus two single-family homes on Park Overlook Drive. The approved PUD legally locks the Indianola Avenue connection to emergency-only access and adds a public path through the site. The project still needs final development plan approval from the Planning Commission, and the developer's separate tax abatement request comes to council later.
Four Charter Questions Head to the November Ballot
Voters will decide four separate charter questions on November 3: shortening the zoning-referendum petition window from 60 to 30 days (the only split vote of the night, 6-1), lowering the signature requirement from 35% to 10% of the last gubernatorial election, a bundle of commission recommendations that includes merging three development-review boards into one, and the resident-led "Our City, Our Vote" petition, which council was legally required to forward once the Board of Elections certified its signatures. The city's law director told council the petition's language could open far more council actions to referendum than the current charter does; the petition's supporters say the language is standard and drawn from state law.
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Six Months of Night Work Coming to West Wilson Bridge Road
Council authorized bids for a $2.5 million replacement of the water main along West Wilson Bridge Road, from High Street to Old West Wilson Bridge Road. It's one of the city's main arterial lines, feeding the Ville Charmante condominiums and the corridor's commercial buildings, and the project upsizes it from 8 inches to 12 while adding a connection to a 30-inch Columbus regional main, enough capacity for the approved Worthington Mall redevelopment and the Crawford Hoying project if both are built.
Because the work crosses the High Street intersection, one of the city's busiest, most construction will happen between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., with trenches plated over and traffic flagged through overnight. City Engineer John Moorehead described what neighbors should expect: equipment, backup alarms, and occasional dump trucks, which "would not be silent, but I believe is a better impact to the community than attempting to do this work during the daytime hours". Council members asked staff to give nearby buildings, including the Heights at Worthington Place, advance notice. Water service itself should see little interruption; the existing main stays live until each property is switched over.
The timeline: bids over the August recess, a contract award around September, work starting near October with roughly six months of construction, and then a full repaving of West Wilson Bridge Road from Route 315 to High Street once the pipe is in.
In Other News
- Trash contract out to bid, with composting on the menu. Council authorized bidding the city's next five-year solid waste contract (2027 through 2031); Friday collection of trash, recycling, and yard waste stays as-is. The new element: two optional bids for curbside food-waste collection, either a citywide city-funded program aligned with a SWACO grant partnership or a subscription service residents would pay for directly. Council picks one, or neither, when bids come back in September.
- Budget season previewed. Staff gave council an early look ahead of the 2027 budget: income tax collections reached $35.2 million in 2025 (up 33% since 2020), the city holds a AAA credit rating, and the general fund's unencumbered balance sits at 83% of prior-year spending, well above the 35 to 50% policy target, which triggered a required check-in. Worthington Steel's departure, worth roughly $1 million a year, is now expected in early 2027. The proposed budget arrives in early October.
- E-bike rules still on track for September. Council talked through where electric bikes and scooters should be allowed but reached no final decisions; the leanings were sidewalks yes (with speed limits), Class 3 e-bikes and mopeds no, and helmets required for riders under 18. Members will send written feedback to staff over the recess, and draft ordinances return in September.
- Routine business. Council passed the consent agenda in a single motion and accepted the June financial report, which staff summarized as "nothing to report" [5:18:25].
- Council is off in August. Members voted to take their annual August recess (two members voted no); the next regular meeting is September 8, which includes a public hearing on funding for the Caren Avenue waterline project.
Upcoming Dates
- Monday, July 27, 6 p.m. — Bike and Pedestrian Advisory Board meeting.
- Monday, July 27, 6:30 p.m. — Worthington Board of Education regular meeting; the board votes on rehiring two retired teachers following July's public hearing.
- Tuesday, August 4, 7 p.m. — Community Relations Commission meeting.
- Tuesday, September 8, 7 p.m. — Council's next regular meeting after the August recess: Caren Avenue waterline hearing, trash and composting bids, and draft e-bike ordinances are all queued.
- Tuesday, November 3 — Election Day: Worthington's four charter questions appear as separate ballot items.
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Thanks for reading this summary of the City Council meeting, you can watch the original full video here