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Ocean City Today
Jobless numbers climb in county
Vendors will get refunds, invitation to return in fall Continued from Page 1 The city will refund all vendors and ticket holders. Special Events Superintendent Frank Miller said he would offer any vendors that are also participating in Sunfest the option to carry over their Springfest deposits. Miller told Ocean City Today that his department also would attempt to secure this year’s Springfest headliners for 2021’s event, and, if successful, he would offer concertgoers the option of saving their tickets for next year’s festival. However, this endeavor would take some time, Miller said. “It’s with a very heavy heart that we have to do this,” Miller said. “[However], public safety comes first, always.”
APRIL 3, 2020
Springfest 2020 was cancelled during Wednesday’s department budget meeting. The annual festival, which draws hundreds of thousands of guests to the resort, would be a safety hazard during the covid-19 pandemic, resort official said.
Continued from Page 1 many sales of their goods and services, it’s a little difficult for them to increase their job opportunities,” Gordon said. “With us being a seasonal economy, with many of the businesses here, having a jump start in their year with sales usually in the early spring, this of course will delay all of that.” On the flip side, grocers have advertised a need for more employees for restocking, according to Gordon. “I’ve also seen some businesses shifting gears, such as Hardwire down in Pocomoke City,” Gordon said. “Hardwire is working with Atlantic General in creating equipment. They’re doing head gear for … personnel over there.” Although it’s impossible to predict how long the economic downturn could last, Gordon said that the local community has stepped into help small businesses. “I’ve seen a lot of people sharing local restaurants carryout menus on Facebook,” Gordon said. “I’ve seen a lot of people seeking local businesses or goods that they can pick up, just trying to find a way to support them during this time.” She said that the best way to help the Worcester County economy is to continue supporting those businesses when they can. “We still offer a quality of life and a culture and a characteristic that everyone knows and loves about Worcester County,” Gordon said. “We will continue to offer that quality of life when our community and our visitors are ready.”
OC tax bills could be less next year Continued from Page 1 Rick Meehan and council members John Gehrig and Mary Knight, expressed their desire to maintain funds for the city’s City Watch program budgeted at $60,000. Both plans A and B would reduce tax rates for corporate and nonresident property owners. Lastly, there was plan C, which would keep the property tax rate at $.4656 and would generate $895,892 in tax revenue. Resident property owners would not see a higher bill, but corporate and nonresident property owners could see a slight increase if their assessments increase. Regardless, the next few months will be crucial for the city’s economic future. “We will need to review the actual revenue and expenses frequently over the next six-12 months before the actual impact of covid-19 is determined,” Knapp told Ocean City Today. “Our town will potentially need to make some tough choices for the remainder of FY20 and for FY21, which will be addressed through budget amendments. Thankfully, we do have fund balance to fall back on to get us through this difficult time.”