City Council on Thursday unanimously approved a bond ordinance that includes funding for the city’s portion of a beach replenishment project at the north end of the island this winter.
Finance Director Frank Donato told council that the federal Army Corps of Engineers expects to seek bids for the work within the next couple months, and the project could begin in late fall or early winter.
With a major south end project expected to resume on July 31 and be complete in September, Ocean City could have more sand on its beaches than ever by the spring.
The work at the north end is part of a regular three-year cycle of maintenance projects for which the municipal government assumes 8.75 percent of the cost (with the federal government and state paying the rest). The south end also will be on a three-year cycle for renourishment projects (with the city paying a slightly higher portion of the costs).
Council authorized spending up to $1,350,000 for the yet-to-be-determined costs of the north end work. The remainder would be spent on bayfront and lagoon dredging.
The measure was part of a larger bond ordinance that passed unanimously and authorized 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 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 second reading of the bond ordinance is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday (August 13) at City Hall.
The $1,015,000 f0r road work is part of a $7,860,000 road improvement program for 2015. The work includes:
- $4,050,000 for road and drainage improvements between 24th and 34th streets, Bay Avenue and West Avenue.
- $1,800,000 for road and drainage improvements between 14th and 17th streets, Bay Avenue and the bay.
- $400,000 for bulkhead replacement and road work on 11th Street between Bay Avenue and the bay.
- $165,000 for replacement of drainage pipes on various streets in the Riviera neighborhood.
- $1.1 million for engineering, surveys and inspections related to the above projects.
A neighborhood meeting to discuss plans for the road improvements between 24th and 34th streets is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4, at the Senior Center within the Ocean City Community Center.
At Thursday’s meeting, City Council also gave final approval to 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.
