OC Today WWW.OCEANCITYTODAY.NET
JULY 3, 2015
SERVING NORTHERN WORCESTER COUNTY
HOLIDAY
JULY 4 WEEKEND The offices of Ocean City Today and Bayside Gazette will be closed on Friday, July 3.
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OC cab companies bailing out Uber-induced flight expands to more medallion holders; strike allegedly considered
By Zack Hoopes Staff Writer (July 3, 2015) The possibility of an Uber-induced decline in the resort’s taxi medallion system appears to be accelerating from a slow bleed into a
full-scale evisceration. Two of the city’s largest taxi companies are now planning to sell off their city medallions (one with a classified in this newspaper) and move their businesses either to Delaware, or into the realm of digital “Transportation Network Services,” given the relative lack of restraint placed on web-based carriers in Maryland. Further, talk of a taxi strike in
Ocean City is gaining ground, with the possibility that the resort could join Mexico City, Paris, and other cities around in the world in seeing cabbies actively protest their loss of job security because of what they say is a bureaucratic bungle. “I’m selling them, but so far nobody wants to buy,” said Michael Pawlowski, owner of Nite Club Taxi and Coastal Cab. The company holds
30 Ocean City taxi medallions, Pawlowski said. “We’re tired of dealing with it in Maryland. I’d rather invest what I make up in Delaware. This whole thing with Uber has been a big eyeopener for a lot of people.” But while Pawlowski and others point one finger at the state, for not adopting a tighter regulatory frameSee PRESSURE Page 5
May tax receipts, room data show strong numbers Rates, occupancy on rise as proceeds jump 11 percent
By Zack Hoopes Staff Writer (July 3, 2015) Recent statistical returns confirm what many people had observed last month – a sudden break in temperatures, coming off a particularly nasty winter, provided a substantial boost to the lodging industry in May. Returns for the city’s room tax – a 4.5 percent levy on all hotel rooms and registered condo rentals – were the highest ever this May compared to the same month in previous years. Proceeds from May 2015 totaled $1.26 million, an 11 percent boost over room tax income from 2014. This is a particularly promising omen, at least for the city’s bank account, heading into the peak season of July and August. Those two months alone provide over half the city’s room tax income for the entire year. In 2014, July and August saw returns of $3.76 and $3.25 million, respectively – their highest ever – out of an end-ofyear total of $13.59 million. The Town of Ocean City began collecting room tax in the summer of 1998. Portions of the tax go to the city’s unrestricted account, while others are earmarked for the resort’s marketing and advertising budget. See MAY Page 3
ZACK HOOPES/OCEAN CITY TODAY
SPREADING THE MESSAGE State Highway Administration employees will be out and about this weekend to promote the third full season of the “Walk Smart” campaign, encouraging pedestrian, bicycle and driver safety over the July 4 holiday. See story on page 30.
Surf rescues surge following Saturday storm By Kara Hallissey Staff Writer (July 3, 2015) Last weekend’s stormy weather not only kicked up the surf in Ocean City but also the number of rescues made last Sunday
by the Ocean City Beach Patrol. Because of the rip currents whipped up by Saturday’s storm, the Ocean City Beach Patrol on the following day had to make 217 rescues, the highest number so far this season.
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The irony is that were it not for the rip currents, Sunday would have been the perfect beach day. “The biggest tip is to realize rip currents don’t go away at 5:30 p.m. See RIP Page 3
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