Council to host public hearing on storm water plan on Monday

Among the items on the agenda for Monday's Worthington City Council meeting is a public hearing for review of the city's storm water pollution prevention plan.

The City of Worthington is regulated under Phase II of the federal MS4 program and must comply with a statewide National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit. This includes implementing a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan addressing six required control measures. Those include public education and outreach, public involvement and participation, illicit discharge detection and elimination, construction site runoff control, post-construction storm water management and pollution prevention/good housekeeping.

An annual public meeting is hosted to gather input on the storm water pollution prevention plan, helping determine if revisions are needed.

Also on the docket for Monday's meeting is consideration of an amendment to city code pertaining to cannabis sales in the city.

Council members earlier this year adopted a 200-foot buffer for retail cannabis businesses from schools, playgrounds and athletic fields as recommended by staff. While this buffer protects nearby facilities regularly used by minors, it otherwise does not impact the total number or concentration of cannabis businesses. The city also opted not limit the number retail registrations, citing concerns with a fair process to choose and other economic development goals.

City staff has since put together an ordinance for the council’s consideration that would establish a 1,000-foot buffer between retail cannabis businesses. This provides a method to potentially limit the number of cannabis businesses in the city without forcing a stricter selection process if the city limited the total number of registrations.