Worthington City Council isn’t listening.

Residents in every neighborhood in Worthington have witnessed a growing disconnect between our city government and the residents they are supposed to serve.

Most recently, our city council passed a zoning change allowing a 246-unit apartment complex on the former Harding (now Boundless) site. Many residents feel that while some form of development on the site is acceptable, this specific proposal is not. Worthington can do better.

At every stage of the city’s process, residents raised questions about increased traffic, environmental degradation, the proposed 10-year tax abatement for the developer, and more. These serious issues were not taken seriously. Instead, residents were belittled and their concerns were not even addressed let alone resolved.

No matter where we live in Worthington, or where we stand on any development issue, we can all agree: our elected officials should listen to the residents.

After being ignored at city hall, residents took a bold, unprecedented step. We formed Democracy Before Developers and launched an effort to put the re-zoning on the 2027 ballot for voters to decide.

The principles are simple: residents should have a voice in issues that affect them, particularly major changes in land use.  And our city government should prioritize the people of Worthington over developers’ profits.

Over 3,000 valid petition signatures of Worthington voters are needed within a 60 day period that began on July 23. If we’re successful, the zoning change at Boundless will be put on the 2027 ballot for the voters to decide.

3,000 valid signatures in 60 days is a steep climb. With your help, we can get it done.

The referendum process is an important guardrail in our democracy’s system of checks and balances. It is one of the keys to effective local governance that is responsive to the voters.