Dear Friends,I’m pleased to announce that the state Department of Environmental Protection has agreed to extend the close of the season for dredging in the bay from February 28 to March 31.The extension will give Ocean City residents an additional month to arrange for dredging private boat slips without having to worry about not finishing work before the cutoff date. I want to thank ACT Engineers and our consulting team for their work with the DEP in revisiting these regulations.Ocean City has been a leader in coming up with innovative solutions to bayside dredging, and all coastal towns will benefit from our work. More information on the extension and on opportunities for private dredging is available here.The city team is hard at work finishing our new five-year capital plan and municipal budget. My instructions have been the same since I took office: Start from zero and budget only what’s necessary. I’m looking forward to presenting our capital plan and our draft budget to City Council on Feb. 28.
These presentations are the start of a process that will result in a final budget later this spring. I encourage anybody with an interest in our plans to attend these public meetings as our budget takes shape. All the romantics in town will be glad to know that our Feb. 14 City Council meeting will be canceled.Our local Ocean City Board of Realtors has launched its annual Winter Food Drive to help restock the Ocean City Ecumenical Council Food Cupboard. Click here for more information on how to donate to this worthy cause.For Eagles fans, there’s no chance this year’s game will be anywhere near as exciting, but I hope you all have a good Super Bowl weekend.Warm regards,Mayor Jay A. Gillian
