Ohio bill could make it easier for residents to fight local ordinances, development decisions

NewsRepublican lawmaker Ty Mathews from Findlay has introduced a bill that would make it easier to force a public vote, known as a referendum, on local ordinances. John Pana, cleveland.comCOLUMBUS, Ohio -- A golf course fight in Findlay could change how all Ohioans challenge decisions by their local governments.Rep. Ty Mathews, a Republican from Findlay, has introduced a bill that would make it easier to force a public vote, known as a referendum, on local ordinances. House Bill 985 would lower the number of signatures needed to trigger one of these votes, known as a referendum, from 35% of an area’s voters to 20%.“People should have a right to this,” Mathews said. “It should be difficult, but it shouldn’t be impossible.”The idea grew out of a fight in Mathews’ own hometown. Findlay’s city council voted this summer to let a housing developer take over the old Shady Grove Golf Course and build nearly 500 homes there. Neighbors who opposed the plan tried to collect enough signatures to put the decision to a public vote instead. They came up short—and many blamed Ohio’s high signature requirement for that.Until 2005, Ohioans needed 10% of an area’s voters to sign on before an issue got put to a public vote. Lawmakers raised it to 35% that year, saying the previous threshold was far too low. Mathews thinks they may have overcorrected.“The 35% seemed pretty extreme,” he said. “I think we’ve taken a tool out of the citizen’s toolbox.”But he doesn’t want to return to 10%, either.“Twenty percent is kind of meet you in the middle,” Mathews said. “I think it’s difficult, but it will be doable.”Findlay’s fight is over a housing development, but Mathews knows similar battles are playing out across Ohio over data centers. As more data centers are proposed, residents are increasingly turning to referendums to push back against projects or slow them down.Mathews said data centers didn’t inspire his bill. But he doesn’t pretend they’re beside the point, either.“Anytime citizens have easier access to direct democracy is a great thing for all Ohioans,” said Nick Owens, an attorney who has been helping local communities get their data center developments on the ballot. Time is short for Mathews’ proposal. The current General Assembly ends in December, and any bill that doesn’t pass by then must start over when the new session begins in January.Mathews said he doesn’t expect HB 985 to pass on its own, but its provisions could be folded into another bill. If that doesn’t happen, he plans to introduce it again in 2027.As a statehouse reporter for Cleveland.com, I write about all things Ohio politics with a focus on elections, marijuana policy, social issues, budgets, redistricting, public pensions, immigration in Ohio and...