Dear Friends,
I’m pleased to announce that Ocean City has achieved Class 4 in the National Flood Insurance Program’s Community Rating System (CRS).
The designation means all NFIP policy holders with compliant structures in Ocean City will now receive a 30 percent discount on their flood insurance.
The CRS program rewards towns that take action to make properties less vulnerable to flooding.
The new rating means Ocean City’s approximately 17,000 policy holders will collectively save more than $3 million every year – an average savings of about $175 per participating home.
Any policy that renews after May 1, 2020 will see the savings.
A team of city employees, community members and outside experts is already hard at work on actions that could lead to a Class 3 rating, which would deliver another 5 percent savings.
The CRS program is designed to encourage building regulations, flood protection measures, educational efforts and other activities to reduce the potential risk of flood damage.
Congress faces a deadline of next Friday to reauthorize the NFIP program. Legislators have granted a number of short-term extensions in recent years, while debating long-term reforms.
The Army Corps of Engineers began pumping new sand onto beaches at the southern end of Ocean City at 7:20 p.m. last night.
The work is part of a maintenance program to rebuild the beaches and dunes that protect our property from storm damage.
The beach operations will progress northward from 59th Street to about 45th Street, and work is expected to be complete by early January.
On Monday, the Philadelphia-based economic consulting firm Econsult Solutions Inc. made a presentation to local business owners and professionals on travel trends in the tourism industry.
The firm conducted extensive market research and held a series of working sessions with local stakeholders this summer.
The goal was to provide guidance on how to maintain Ocean City’s strong brand as “America’s Greatest Family Resort,” while being prepared to adapt to future changes in the marketplace.
Their work culminated in the creation of recommendations for Ocean City. To see a copy of the presentation and to provide feedback, please visit www.ocnj.us/econfeedback.
I hope you all have a great weekend.
Warm regards,
Mayor Jay A. Gillian
