Five Things to Know About City Council's Thursday Agenda

The Nov. 8 meeting of City Council was cancelled in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, but council has a full agenda (see attached PDF) scheduled for a public meeting 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15.

Because office material from the flooded first floor of City Hall has been moved to Council Chambers on the third floor, the meeting will be held in the lecture hall at the Ocean City Free Public Library at 17th Street and Simpson Avenue.

Here are five things that might be of special interest:

• City Council will vote to support new recommended speed limits for the Route 52 causeway. The state is recommending changing the speed limit to 45 mph for vehicles heading out of town and to 45 mph for inbound vehicles until they reach a point about one-third of a mile from Palen Avenue (somewhere on the new Ninth Street Bridge). At that point, the speed limit would decrease to 35 mph.
• City Council will vote to extend the grace period for the quarterly taxes due Nov. 1. The vote would authorize an extension to Nov. 20. The vote would formalize an action already announced.
• In what Ocean City Finance Director Frank Donato describes as a "Plan B" refinancing initiative, the city hopes to take advantage of low interest rates and combine bond issues (see attached PDF for details). The $9.9 million plan is a smaller version of a similar idea rejected by state earlier this year. Council will vote on two resolutions related to the plan.
• City Council will vote to advertise for bids on underground storage tank upgrades and site remediation. The agenda packet does not list specific locations.
• Reports from the mayor, administration and council members (as well as public comment) will likely include updates on hurricane relief efforts.