Politics & Government

Five Things to Know From City Council's Meeting on Thursday

Beach replenishment may be on the way, a new contract for the Pops and more.

At Thursday's public meeting, City Council rejected contractor bids on boardwalk reconstruction , and heard . But here are five other things that might be of interest.

  • Business Administrator Mike Dattilo reported that a recent state aid agreement is a good sign that funds for a beach replenishment project will come through this year. The project would pump sand onto the beaches from the north end of the island to 14th Street as part of a regular maintenance program. Ocean City's portion of the (mostly) federally funded project would be $1.1 million and is part of the city's five-year capital plan. The project would not include dredging at the southern end of the island, where erosion has left little sand at beaches near 57th Street. The southern beaches are on a separate waiting list for Army Corps of Engineers funding.
  • City Council approved a new collective bargaining agreement with the American Federation of Musicians, Local 661-708 — the union that represents the Ocean City Pops orchestra. The new three-year contract (Feb. 2012 through Jan. 2015) calls for no wage increase in 2012 and 2 percent increases in 2013 and 2014. The net increase in Ocean City's municipal budget would be an estimated $5,000 annually (assuming a similar concert schedule for 2013 and 2014).
  • City Council President Michael Allegretto reported that a vacation giveaway contest sponsored by the Ocean City Tourism Commission and Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce has helped generate an email list with more than 60,000 names.  
  • City Council voted to approve a $14,500 contract with the planning group helping Ocean City update its Master Plan. Professional planner Randy Scheule is part of the Karabashian Eddington Planning Group and has been guiding Ocean City's Planning Board in the process.
  • City Council voted to extend the grace period for the August 2012 tax quarter until Aug. 27.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here