Mayor Jay Gillian delivers his State of the City address.
Dear Friends,
At last night’s City Council meeting, I delivered my annual State of the City address. The text is included below, and video of the full address is here.
Our administration also delivered to City Council a copy of the recommended 2026 “mayor’s budget.” This is the first step in an annual budgeting process that will include a presentation to City Council by Finance Director Frank Donato on the details of the proposed budget on March 26.
City Council will vote to “introduce” the budget on April 23, and then work to make any potential revisions before a final public hearing and vote to adopt the budget tentatively on May 21. A copy of the draft mayor’s budget is here.
The Cape May County Municipal Utilities Authority recently discovered a failed sewer main under West Avenue at 31st Street, and an emergency repair is expected to take up to eight weeks.
Work is underway and West Avenue is closed from 30th Street to 32nd Street, along with parts of 31st Street. More information is available here. Because of concerns for health, safety and uninterrupted sewer service, the county could not delay this repair. I want to thank residents for their patience and understanding.
Cape May County is making good progress on elevating and improving Roosevelt Boulevard, and a new traffic pattern will be in place for the next five weeks. See more detail here.
A separate sewer repair in the Gardens is ongoing, and detours will be in effect on Gardens Parkway next week. Please use caution in all these road construction areas.
I was proud to join Police Chief Bill Campbell, Fire Chief Bernie Walker and Beach Patrol Chief Erich Becker on Tuesday for our annual Public Safety Recognition Ceremony.
The event recognized dozens of first responders for their heroic actions in the course of duty during 29 different incidents in 2025. Please join me in paying tribute to these dedicated men and women. We’re all fortunate to have such an exceptional public safety team in Ocean City.
I want to encourage everyone to support our local merchants at the Market Madness event 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Ocean City Civic Center.
The event offers a great opportunity to take advantage of discounts and specials on all your favorite local merchandise. More information is available here. You can also help our local businesses by voting in USA Today’s “Best Main Street” contest here: 10best.usatoday.com/awards/ocean-city-new-jersey.
I also want to encourage you to attend our annual Special Olympics swimming competition at 10 a.m. Sunday, March 15, at the Ocean City Aquatic & Fitness Center (1735 Simpson Avenue). Please come out and show your support for these athletes. The event always offers a heartwarming show of good sportsmanship.
The Ocean City High School boys’ basketball team will play in the state Group III championship game at 2 p.m. Sunday on a neutral court at Rutgers University. It’s a chance for the first state title in 61 years for the team.
It’s been exciting to watch the team’s run through the playoffs. Coach John Bruno has put together a true team, and the young men are a class act and great representatives of our town.
Check out this week’s edition of the “Inside City Hall” video series below to get a behind-the-scenes look at events, services and projects in Ocean City.
Warm regards, Mayor Jay A. Gillian
