Five Things to Know About City Council's Thursday Agenda
Increased parking fees, rejected bids for dredging and the City Hall Annex project and more.
City Council has a full agenda (see revised agenda) for its public meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday (April 12) in Council Chambers on the third floor of City Hall. But here are five agenda items that might be of special interest:
- City Council will consider an amended ordinance (first of two readings) that would raise public parking fees. Under the proposed ordinance, the maximum summertime fee in municipal parking lots climbs from $15 to $20. Parking meter fees in the downtown area would double — from 25 cents per hour to 25 cents per half-hour (and the maximum parking time would change from two hours to three hours). The proposed ordinance also would add meters on the 1300 blocks of Asbury and West avenues.
- City Council will consider an amended ordinance (first of two readings) that would change certain police and fire department fees — including smoke detector inspections (reduced from $125 to $100), ambulance service (increased by $50), boat ramp fees and airport fees.
- City Council will consider a resolution rejecting bids for a dredging contract. City Council President Michael Allegretto said the specifications of the bid request had to be reworded. But he said the city still hopes to start dredging lagoon mouths (between 17th Street and Waterway) in June.
- (UPDATE: This resolution was removed from the agenda at 3:45 p.m. Tuesday, April 10) ... (UPDATE: This resolution was resubmitted at 4:45 p.m. on Wednesday, April 11) City Council will consider a resolution rejecting bids for the design and construction of a modular building at Ninth Street and Asbury Avenue. Allegretto said the city received two bids that were higher than what the city had budgeted for the project. He said he anticipates the debate over what to do with the property at the prime downtown intersection will continue (now that City Hall Annex has been demolished). Meanwhile, work crews at the site on Monday were removing underground gas tanks at the former site of a gas station (see photo above).
- City Council will vote to reappoint Stanley Pszczolkowski to the Ethics Board, giving the six-seat local volunteer board a fourth member and the quorum it needs to continue work.
(Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that a proposed ordinance would add parking meters to only one side of the 1300 block of West Avenue.)
JJ
8:41 am on Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Can't make the meeting, but increased parking is so wrong. Our tourists are already paying top dollar to drive here, lets be "meter friendly". We also have to factor in the fact that many boardwalk as well as downtown workers feed these meters, so we are hurting those as well as locals visitors.
J.K.
8:56 am on Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Does anyone know what the meter/parking fees go toward to help the city?
VB
8:59 am on Tuesday, April 10, 2012
I agree, we want people to come and stay and spend money, don't increase parking fees! I do however like the idea of being able to park downtown for 3 hours instead of 2. Think that is a great idea if you want to do some shopping and stop for a meal.
Charlene
9:12 am on Tuesday, April 10, 2012
I live yearly in ocean city and i do not feel that i should have to pay for meters. I would buy the parking pass but it only includes two lots. They removed the lot across from the police station as one of the lots you could park in. It would be a hard trip for me to walk from the other lots.
Jane Rubino
9:46 am on Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Any negative effects of expanding paid parking areas and increasing parking fees will fall on the downtown merchants. There is something off-putting and ironic about paying for the privilege of spending one's money, and nothing pleasant about rushing through the shopping experience because you're "on the clock", so to speak.
If fees are increased, why not have a "free" day to see whether and how it impacts the merchants' revenue?
downtownjohnny
10:06 am on Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Why do that Jane ? All this time and money spent on byob or no byob when the rest of downtown is suffering and getting worse. Empty storefronts, one and done businesses. The place next to Annarellis has been 3 places in 5 years. F and M, opne one year, closed, opened as another place, now coming back maybe as F and M. Yogurt place opens on Asbury, and then another one opens on boardwalk. Which one you think will survive ? Flea market going into staintons, that should certainly help the parking situation. then yesterday shallcross sends an email to merchants imploring their workers not to park on asbury. but then they want to raise the parking price. how about doing something to preserve the downtown business district. it's not just about the 5 places on asbury that are fighting for byob!!!!