Hello Worthington! Here's your recap of what happened at Monday, March 9'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.
The Northeast Area is now Forge Fields at Rush Run
The industrial corridor along Proprietors, Huntley, Worthington-Galena and Schrock roads has a new name. Members of the Worthington Community Improvement Corporation unveiled Forge Fields at Rush Run, along with a logo they call "the strike and the spark" and a palette that borrows Worthington's blue. The name nods to the area's industrial past and to Rush Run, the creek that runs through it. It leaves out "Worthington" on purpose, so the district can stand on its own. Next come brochures for property owners, developers and employers, a small website expected within about two months, and wayfinding signs slated for 2027. The city also has $100,000 in this year's budget to study infrastructure in the corridor, including Rush Run.
The new Forge Fields at Rush Run logo, as presented to council. From the video at 11:32.
Council works through its draft two-year policy agenda
Council reviewed the draft 2026-2028 policy agenda from its Feb. 28 retreat, the list of "Do Now" and "Do Next" priorities it gives city staff. Members agreed the lists reflected the retreat. They also agreed to reword a Do Next item about converting High Street to multimodal use so it calls for investigating the options instead. City Manager Robyn Stewart said staff has little capacity for new work, and she agreed to bring back the Gantt-chart progress reports. Members debated how to present the agenda to residents, and staff said it would bring the documents back for formal approval the following week.
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COTA heard Worthington's concerns about losing Route 102
COTA, the Central Ohio Transit Authority, is drafting its short-range transit plan, a five-year roadmap for bus service across the region. Its early ideas included retiring Route 102, the High Street express that carries Worthington commuters downtown. Council discussed those proposals at its previous meeting.
Planning and Building Director Lee Brown said staff passed council's comments to COTA right away and sent a link to the meeting video so COTA could hear the discussion itself. The loss of the 102 was "a big focus", he said. COTA is taking the comments under advisement and expects a draft plan around April, followed by open houses where the city can keep pressing its case. Brown said COTA may have felt the city was "jumping the gun a little bit" by weighing in before a draft existed. Council President Pro Tem Rebecca Hermann disagreed: "I don't think it was jumping the gun at all". She said agencies need to hear Worthington's position early.
Later in the meeting, Council Member Pete Bucher said he had spoken with COTA's chief executive about council's concerns. COTA aims to finalize the plan by the end of July, he said, and "they heard the feedback and they want to work with us".
In Other News
- Council President Rachael Dorothy said she and Stewart attended a meeting of the Central Ohio Mayors' and Managers' Association, where members discussed a possible statewide ballot measure to abolish property taxes. It would hit the city's budget, she said, but "townships would be decimated by it, schools would be decimated by it". Stewart said Ohio's municipal league, township association, school board association and county commissioners had presented background and early polling at a recent state managers' conference. A coalition is forming, she said, and communities need to explain clearly what property taxes pay for. She planned to share the coalition's website with council.
- Two council members reported on the district's State of the Schools event. The superintendent pointed to pressures the district has little control over: school vouchers, falling state funding, and a shift in the tax burden from businesses toward residents. The district also said it plans to return to the ballot in 2028 and that elementary school facilities are next up for review once its community committees reconvene.
- Council members who attended the McConnell Arts Center (MAC) gala said it drew the largest crowd in the event's history and raised more than $82,000. The Worthington Resource Pantry's fundraiser is coming up next.
- Council Member Joy Dong said she is researching the "state of the city" events other municipalities hold; Stewart said the closest Worthington has had is the Chamber of Commerce's Groundhog Day event. Members also thanked the Service Department for bringing a snowplow to a Thomas Worthington High School environmental science class, and congratulated the Worthington Kilbourne girls basketball team on reaching the regional final.
- Council voted 7-0 to go into executive session to discuss appointing public officials, pending or imminent litigation, and buying property for a public purpose. No action was announced afterward. Before the regular meeting, council held a brief special meeting, also an executive session, on the appointment of a public official.
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Thanks for reading this summary of the City Council meeting, you can watch the original full video here