Director Daly says Republic contract non-exclusive Although the Board of Directors voted unanimously at its Dec. 19 monthly meeting to renew a contractual arrangement with Republic Services for twice-weekly trash collection services in Ocean Pines, Ocean Pines Association Director Frank Daly recently said that the contract with Republic is not exclusive. He is checking to see if Chesapeake Waste Management is interested in competing in Ocean Pines. ~ Page 3
Banquet business coming back strong. DeAngelus says Matt Ortt Companies managing partner Ralph DeAngelus is upbeat about prospects for the banquet business in fiscal year 2021-22, telling members of the Budget and Finance Advisory Committee earlier this month that “public confidence is coming in strong” in this segment of the Ocean Pines Association’s food and beverage business despite the continued covid pandemic. ~ Page 6
OPA not eligible for more PPP money from feds Additional loan money from the second version of the federal Payroll Protection Program recently passed by Congress won’t help the Ocean Pines Association this time around. The second iteration of PPP funding included a condition that only organizations that had experienced a 25 percent reduction in revenues in any quarter of 2020 would be eligible for the funding. ~ Page 10
January 2021
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THE OCEAN PINES JOURNAL OF NEWS & COMMENTARY
COVER STORY
Adjusted OPA budget for 2021-22 calls for $35 assessment increase Viola reduces $121 increase in preliminary draft
By TOM STAUSS Publisher fter the preliminary draft budget for 2021-22 called for an assessment increase of $121, the inevitable happened: Efforts were made to reduce the assessment to what General Manager John Viola calls a more “prudent” level. Following four days of budget review earlier this month by the Budget and Finance Advisory Committee and a single day by the Board of Directors, Viola announced that the proposed assessment increase has been reduced to $35. If that number stands, the base assessment that will be approved by the board next month would be $1,021. The most significant offset in the need to increase the assessment was not an actual cut in spending but an accounting maneuver that saved $41. The Ocean Pines Association is projected to receive $350,000 in local impact funding from operations at the Ocean Downs Casino. This funding source traditionally has been allocated to the Roads Reserve and is used for road resurfacing. Viola proposed and sold the budget and finance committee and most OPA directors on the idea of using the casino money for drainage rather than roads resurfacing. That has the effect of allocating the $350,000 in
A
expected casino funding to the operating fund, making it possible to avoid using assessment dollars in that same amount for drainage purposes. That $350,000 is equivalent to $41 on the lot assessment. In budget review meetings, OPA President Larry Perrone objected to the reallocation of casino funding out of concern that it would interrupt the ongoing roads resurfacing program. Viola countered that a one-year hiatus in road resurfacing could be absorbed without noticeable deterioration of streets in Ocean Pines. Minor road repairs could still occur as they normally do. Other adjustments in the budget allowing for a smaller increase in the assessment include a $15 savings from reducing a proposed increase in the amount of assessment dollars used for “general” or common area bulkheading replacement. In the preliminary draft budget, Viola had proposed raising that amount from $19 to $40, reflecting increased costs for bulkhead replacement. He told committee and board members that the number could safely be reduced to $25 from $40, which could have the effect of reducing the amount of linear To Page 29
County hires consultant to evaluate Pines golf course irrigation option ~ Page 12