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JANUARY 14, 2022
SERVING NORTHERN WORCESTER COUNTY
TAX BUMP
COUNTY VOTES ON INCREASE State legislators next in line to consider 1-percent jump in Ocean City room rental tariff – Page 11
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Council raise might be on agenda soon
Hospital ERs overwhelmed, issue alerts
Officials’ last pay increase came in 1989 at $10,000
AGH, TidalHealth forced to restrict ambulances’ entry
By Mallory Panuska Staff Writer (Jan. 14, 2022) The last time Ocean City council members’ salaries were raised, Council President Matt James was not yet born. The year was 1989 and the amount decided on was $10,000 annually for the six regular council members and $11,000 for the president. Now, sitting members of council are looking into whether to place a request to more than double that amount in 2023. The discussion came up Tuesday during a council work session. However the subject did not initially come from the dais. Ryan Whittington, the president of the resort’s firefighters’ union, advocated for a raise for council members during a recent public meeting. City Manager Doug Miller took the reins and began researching comparable salaries in other municipalities across the state. Through the research he determined that, based on the duties and responsibilities of the Ocean City Council members, their pay is on the low side. See TALK Page 14
By Mallory Panuska Staff Writer (Jan. 14, 2022) A perfect storm of high patient numbers exacerbated by covid mixed with staff shortages have catapulted the region’s hospitals into emergency crisis modes not seen in many years. The trend is a familiar one across the country as healthcare facilities grapple with the effects of omicron — the latest, highly contagious variant of covid — as well as other seasonal illnesses and the handicap of a limited number of employees available to tend to the sick. On Monday night, for the first time in 20 years, Atlantic General Hospital officials initiated a yellow alert for the emergency room and a red alert for the overall facility due to high patient volumes. The yellow alert prohibited ambulances from bringing patients to the ER for several hours and the red alert established an emergency within the hospital because no cardiac beds were available. “The yellow and red alert was initiated at 5 p.m. on January 10 beSee PATIENT Page 8
GREG WEHNER/OCEAN CITY TODAY
WATCH THAT BOTTOM STEP
Painting the outside of a water tower on 94th Street and recoating the inside began this week, as crews were seen climbing the bulb and reworking the inner guts of the facility on Monday. Ocean City Council members agreed in November to hire D&M Painting to complete the work for $367,650. The project was originally budgeted for $350,000.
Council about to name McGean manager Long-time city engineer considered best qualified to assume top admin post By Mallory Panhuska Staff Writer (Jan. 14, 2022) Exactly two weeks after Ocean City Manager Doug
Miller announced his resignation, city officials are close to naming a replacement from within. All the i’s may not be dotted yet, and the t’s may not all be crossed, but the writing is on the wall for City Engineer Terry McGean to step into City Hall’s top administrative post.
“The council believes Terry would be the most qualified candidate for the position and has proven to be a great employee,” Council President Matt James said in a text message late Wednesday in response to questions about whether McGean would be moving into the spot. “I hope to have
a formal announcement of his appointment in the near future.” Miller announced his resignation on Dec. 29 after almost exactly six years in the position. He was hired in February 2016 after a six-month nationwide search. See MCGEAN Page 12
