OC Today
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CRUISIN’ OCEAN CITY More than 3,300 hot rods, custom cars and classics rolling through resort – Page 49
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MAY 15, 2015
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Take-home cars at turning point Council, union differ on how vehicle policy should be enforced
BRIAN GILLILAND/OCEAN CITY TODAY
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On Wednesday, crews work to demolish what had been de Lazy Lizard Brewpub — formerly Melvin’s Steakhouse — after the structure first caught fire on Feb. 18. With assistance from the Berlin, Bethany Beach, Showell, Ocean Pines and Roxana departments, the OCFD battled the blaze for more than two hours, according to a city release. Fire crews were called out twice on March 18 to the First Street location, once to extinguish a small fire and again later the same afternoon for steam, which workers, at that time trying to salvage the building, mistook for smoke.
By Zack Hoopes Staff Writer (May 15, 2015) How far is too far? City Hall is currently struggling with that question both figuratively and literally when it comes to tightening the city’s take-home vehicle policy. That is especially so when it comes to the Ocean City Police Department, whose unclear parameters for taxpayer-funded vehicles have reportedly been causing issues. The core feature of the city’s vehicle policy is the requirement that employees live no further than 15 miles from the city limits in order
to qualify for the use of a take-home vehicle. But the gulf between policy and reality is apparently quite large. Despite interest in changing the requirement to a time-based radius –employees would have to live within a certain number of minutes of driving time from the city – the city council voted sixto-one this week to uphold the current distance requirement and apply it to all takehome vehicles, including those assigned to law enforcement. “I think we should stick with 15 miles,” Councilman Tony DeLuca said at the council’s Tuesday work session. “It means a distance that can’t change. If we tell someone ‘you can have the vehicle if you can make it See EXCEPTIONS Page 5
Commissioner split kills extra cash in OC’s grant County cuts $200K boost intended to steady tax diff. fight
By Brian Gilliland Staff Writer (May 15, 2015) In a move he said was a point for discussion, County Administrator Harold Higgins on Tuesday told the county commissioners that he and other members of the budget committee had added $200,000 to its annual grant to Ocean City, but that gesture didn’t survive the day. That additional money was
an acknowledgement of the disparity between what Ocean City delivers to the county treasury as compared to what it gets in return. It also was a nod to the resort’s argument for a tax differential for services it provides internally that it maintains the county duplicates. Arguing that Ocean City property owners pay county taxes for services they don’t use, resort officials have contended that the county should give the resort a tax break of about $17 million. The county countered earlier this year that number is
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Smoking? No. Dumping? Yes. People on the beach this past week apparently had difficulty finding a trash can, leading to this photo taped to Ocean City Today’s front door early Wednesday morning. Although designated smoking area receptacles were plentiful, the usual beach trash cans had not yet been placed, causing beachgoers to improvise. Apparently, the butt cans went out with the institution of the beach smoking restriction, while the great beach weather caught some by surprise. Trash cans are going out now.
more like $3 million, even though the commissioners took no action on Ocean City’s latest request that the county award it 3 percent bumps to its grants per year for the next five years. Higgins said Ocean City had “presented a compelling argument,” which led him to include the extra money in the municipality’s grant. Commissioner President M. Jim Bunting and Ocean City Commissioner Joe Mitrecic also found “some merit” to the claims. Bunting said there was no time to do anything See FEAR Page 3
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Fear of dividing county by muni. services voiced Continued from Page 1 during this budget cycle, but thought the $200,000 increase would work as a gesture to keep the conversation moving. Commissioner J. Bud Church said he hasn’t liked all the rhetoric he’s seen surrounding the issue, but joined Bunting and Mitrecic’s call to approve the funding. The other commissioners, however, were unmoved. “County government is for the entire county … everyone pulls together for the whole county,” Commissioner Ted Elder said. Elder thought playing favorites would pull the county apart at the seams. “If we’re going to flat fund, we have to flat fund everyone. I don’t think we can put Ocean City above everyone else,” Elder said. “Ocean City would be fine if 4.5 per-
‘County government is for the entire county … everyone pulls together for the whole county.’ Commissioner Ted Elder cent of taxes were returned to each municipality,” Mitrecic responded, referring to Ocean City’s ratio of return for what it sends to the county. “We could cut Berlin’s share to 4.5 percent.” “We all agree Ocean City is an asset,” Commission Vice President Merrill Lockfaw said, adding that he didn’t like the idea of “sitting here and starting to divide up the county.” “I understand the emotion and what a benefit Ocean City is to the county. This $200,000 is money well spent. It’s a carrot and better than sitting in court over a tax differential,” Church said. Elder, Lockfaw, Chip Bertino and Diana Purnell, however, voted to eliminate the extra money from Ocean City’s unrestricted grant and to keep all municipality’s’ grants the same as fiscal 2015. Bunting, Church and Mitrecic voted against.
Ocean City Today Business ..................................36 Calendar ..................................70 Commentary..............................93 Classifieds ................................46 Entertainment ..........................54 Lifestyle ....................................49 Obituaries ................................33 Public notices ..........................78 Sports ......................................40 News: editor@oceancitytoday.net Sales: sales@oceancitytoday.net Classifieds: classifieds@oceancitytoday.net Phone: 410-723-6397 Visit us on the Web at www.oceancitytoday.net and at Facebook/Ocean City Today Published Fridays by FLAG Publications, Inc. 8200 Coastal Highway, Ocean City, Md. 21842 P.O. Box 3500, Ocean City, Md. 21843 Available by subscription at $150 a year.
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After wait, salary study done soon Much of new payscale data will be covered with FY16 COLA, city manager says
By Zack Hoopes Staff Writer (May 15, 2015) With the 2016 budget up for final reading next week, it appears that Ocean City will be going forward with next year’s fiscal plan without a full reveal of the muchanticipated municipal pay study. That plan, according to City Manager David Recor, will be ready for discussion by the city council in midto-late June. Recor said a preliminary review of the data returned from the study’s consultant indicates that the city will already be addressing a sizable amount of the wage discrepancies identified. The budget, which will
likely be passed next week, includes a is only $335,000, according to city two percent cost-of-living-adjustment Budget Manager Jennie Knapp. (COLA) for all fulltime and some partThe remaining cost for putting the time positions. new salary tables into place would be “We have an estimated cost of how marginal, Recor said. much it will take to implement the He and city Human Resources Disalary and benefits rector Wayne Evans plan,” Recor said. are currently put“It looks like about ‘They provided us with some ting the raw data 35 percent of the analysis from the options that were not in the consultant into a cost of implementscope of services.’ ing the new salary coherent plan for study will be in- City Manager David Recor presentation to the cluded as part of the council. The study overall COLA that is was commissioned currently planned.” from Management Advisory Group The 2-percent adjustment is worth International, Inc. approximately $670,000 in salary “They provided us with some opand benefits per year. Since the ad- tions that were not in the scope of justment is not scheduled to go into services,” Recor said. “We are workeffect until Jan. 1, 2016 – halfway ing to refine the various pieces into a through the July-to-June budget year concrete recommendation for coun– the increase on the coming budget cil.”
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