City Council on Thursday will vote to cover costs for the city’s portion of a planned beach replenishment project for the north end of the island this winter.
The federal government is paying 100 percent of the cost of an ongoing beach rebuilding project at the south end (read more: O.C. Beach Project Stalls Again as Dredge Returns to Norfolk).
But the Army Corps announced that it plans to return to Ocean City in the off-season to maintain its regular three-year cycle of maintenance projects for the north end.
The municipal government assumes 8.75 percent of the cost of those renourishment projects.
The measure is part of a larger bond ordinance that would authorize spending $2,693,000 with $2,558,350 of that total borrowed.
The ordinance includes authorizations to spend:
- $1,350,000: For beach and bay improvements, including but not limited to the city’s portion of the Army Corps beach project. The Army Corps has not yet provided an estimate for the total cost of work or confirmed a date for the work to begin. The appropriation also could include work on bayfront and lagoon dredging.
- $1,015,000: For the next phases of Ocean City’s ongoing program of road and drainage improvements.
- $328,000: For communications and technology equipment including public safety radio replacements and system upgrades.
The first reading of this bond ordinance is part of the public City Council meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday (July 23) at City Hall. Other agenda items of interest include:
- Department Head Salary Increases: City Council will consider the second readings of two ordinances that raise salaries. The first ordinance change applies to the finance director (a job currently held by Frank Donato), police chief (Chad Callahan) and fire chief (Chris Breunig). The second ordinance applies to the city clerk (Linda MacIntyre). Each of the ordinances gives the employee a 1.5 percent base salary increase for 2015, then 1.25 percent increases each year from 2016 to 2018. The rate increases reflect the numbers approved in collective bargaining agreements with all other city employees.An ordinance passed in August 2013 increased the finance director salary to $105,900 and then added 1.5 percent and 2 percent increases for 2013 and 2014 (to match the unions). The same measure placed the police chief salary at $140,554 before the 2013 and 2014 increases. State law requires a police chief’s base salary to be higher than that of any of his subordinates, City Solicitor Dottie McCrosson said at the time. The fire chief salary was at $126,554 when Breunig was hired in 2012 — less than the department’s three deputy chiefs earn.
- CERT Recognition: City Council will recognize new volunteers on Ocean City’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).
For full documentation on all agenda items, see the PDF below.
