Dear Friends,
The city team is putting the final touches on the proposed 2020 municipal budget, and I look forward to presenting it to City Council on Thursday, Feb. 27. The updated five-year plan for capital improvements will be presented on March 12. This is the start of a public process that will lead to a Council vote on a final budget in about two months.
I also look forward to delivering my annual State of the City address on Thursday. We continue to invest in citywide infrastructure improvements while delivering responsible budgets to our taxpayers. These investments – particularly in roads, flood mitigation and drainage – will help us prepare for the future.
At the last meeting, City Council approved seeking bids from companies that could provide “falconry based bird abatement” services for the summer. Last summer’s experiment with using raptors to keep gulls from stealing a diet of boardwalk food and beach picnics worked extremely well. I look forward to a summer with our boardwalk guests safe and our gull population in its natural environment.
The Cape May County Municipal Utilities Authority wastewater main project on Bay Avenue continues with weekday road closings from Eighth Street to 18th Street (except for local traffic and for access to local businesses).
In another week or two, the project will reach the intersection of Ninth Street and Bay Avenue. Our OCPD Traffic Safety Unit is working on a pattern that will keep at least one lane of traffic in each direction open at all times. Work crews should be clear of the intersection after about another week. Visit ocnj.us/projectupdate for the latest updates on this work.
Everyone is invited to a free presentation on “Green Yards: Environmentally Friendly Garden and Lawn Care” at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 11 in Room N110 at the Ocean City Free Public Library (1735 Simpson Avenue).
Jennifer Sawyer of the Rutgers Cooperative Extension will speak on utilizing native species in the garden, good water management practices, green lawn care and more. The lecture is part of a series presented by the Ocean City Environmental Commission and the Ocean City Free Public Library.
I also want to remind everybody that the brass ensemble of the U.S. Air Force Band will perform 2 p.m. March 15 at the Ocean City Music Pier. The concert is free, but anybody who wishes to attend must reserve a ticket in advance. Call 609-399-6111 or stop by the City Hall Welcome Center (861 Asbury Avenue) or the Roy Gillian Welcome Center on the Route 52 causeway.
Warm regards,
Mayor Jay A. Gillian
