OC Exploring Beach Toy Replacement Options

OCEAN CITY – Boulders may be coming to the beach hopefully in time for this summer as city staff is making progress in finding beach toy replacements but the need for donors remains.

Last month the Recreation and Parks Commission agreed to not have the wooden playground structures, referred to as beach toys, return to the beach off the Boardwalk this summer once staff brought to their attention how the structures have become safety hazards as well as a nuisance with late-night shenanigans.

Once that decision was finalized, many residents and visitors voiced concerns over not having the playgrounds on the beach as they have become a tradition for Boardwalk and beach goers in the summer time. The complaints began to roll in the commission immediately tasked city staff to come up with replacements as soon as possible.

During this week’s Recreation and Parks Commission meeting, Recreation and Parks Director Tom Shuster presented a list of 13 replacement options ranging in the price from $5,900 to $50,000.

Shuster had a preliminary meeting with City Engineer Terry McGean and Public Works Director Hal Adkins to narrow down the list in what would meet state requirements, and what they thought would be practical to move off and on the beach for maintenance and storage, as well as the best for sanitary conditions.

Additionally, Shuster has met with Bill Gibbs, owner of the Dough Roller in Ocean City with a location on 3rd Street and the Boardwalk, who is concerned over the beach toys not returning to the beach this summer and offered his time to help find replacements.

The choices that stood out to the commission were different brands of playground climbing equipment built to represent boulders. Other options included a large pirate ship weighing over 22,000 pounds and a playground shaped into a turtle that were both partially enclosed.

“The whole key to the rocks is they can be transported and dropped on the beach, and they are completely contained so you can’t crawl inside of them, and they look like a natural feature, so they wouldn’t look foreign on the beach,” Shuster said.

Three companies that Shuster presented that provide the boulder shaped commercial playground equipment are Playcore Company’s Everlast Climbing NatureROCKS Sandstone Set, Playworld System’s Origins Boulders and Ropes and Little Tikes Fun Rocks.

For example, the NatureROCKS Sandstone Set is designed and hand painted to resemble real sandstone. The set includes a small, medium and large boulder, each offering a variety of climbing options that will engage children of all ages. Nature Rocks are constructed of Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete for durability and longevity.

“At least there will be less splinters, and you can’t go inside of them and hang out,” Commission Chair/Councilman Joe Mitrecic said.

The question remains how exactly the replacement beach toys will be funded. The town just went through a stringent budget process with little to no wiggle room, and new beach toys were not included in the proposed budget that is now balanced heading into hearings starting this week.

The beach toys that stood on the beach previously were all purchased and donated by local businesses. Shuster said Gibbs has pointed out several boardwalk businesses that stand out has potential donors but still questioned the Town’s contribution.

According to Shuster, Mayor Rick Meehan felt there is some way for the town to match the money raised by donors to serve as some sort of leverage for property owner’s interest in bringing beach toys back to the beach.

“We didn’t match anything before,” Councilman Dennis Dare said. “We don’t have any money left over in this budget … we are going to keep them clean and repair damage, and we are going to remove them in the off-season so they are not damaged, and then we are going to put them back out, so that is our in-kind donation.”

Four out of the five prior beach toys sold on govdeals.com for a total of $3,750, which will most likely go towards the purchase of new beach toys as part of the town’s contribution. The town gave previous donors the option to sell or keep the old beach toys themselves, and the fifth beach toy was taken home by Fishers Popcorn.

The first new beach toy will most likely be placed at 3rd Street because of Gibbs’ interest and participation so far.

“We will start there and work with other donors from there,” Shuster said. “Each of the individual locations will be based on the boardwalk merchants desire to have them.”

The commission directed staff to cut down the list to potential boulder playground equipment to present to the Mayor and City Council, along with a list of interested donors, and costs and turnaround time of the different products.

Once council approves, the town will go through a process to solicit donors to hopefully have the new beach toys out on the beach during the summer.

County Works On Cutting $7 Million; Showell Project Funding Included

SNOW HILL — Worcester County officials this week began an attempt to reconcile an estimated $7 million-plus budget deficit with a marathon work session during which they examined the spending plan line item by line item to patch together a reconciliation plan.

The County Commissioners and staff on Tuesday met for several hours to begin to balance the proposed fiscal year 2014 budget. Initial requested expenditures came in at around $174 million, while anticipated revenues are estimated at just under $167 million, leaving a gap of over $7 million that must be reconciled through cuts to various departments and programs or an increase in revenue in the form of a tax increase, or both. However, the commissioners have said from the beginning a tax increase is off the table, leaving further cuts to an already bare-bones budget the only solution.

The commissioners began a meticulous review of the budget department-by department and line-by-line on Tuesday and virtually no stone was left unturned. By the end of the day, some departments and programs saw their fiscal year 2014 funding cut while others survived. The following is a quick look at some of the highlights from Tuesday:

(BOLD/CENTER)Fire Companies

The county’s volunteer fire companies have seen their county funding levels decline over the last few years as the recession has dragged on. For example, in fiscal year 2012, the county’s volunteer fire companies received $2.3 million from Worcester, but the figure is expected to dip to just over $1.96 million in the current budget. Commissioner Virgil Shockley said the downward trend had to be reversed for the volunteer companies.

“We need to put a bottom line on this,” he said. “It can’t drop below a certain point. There has to be a floor underneath this thing. We have five small companies working their tails off with fundraising and you see the ladies’ auxiliary handing over checks for $4,000 and $5,000. This is our community, this is our family.”

Commissioner Jimmy Bunting said the declining volunteer fire company funding was necessitated by a drop in property tax assessments, but agreed the county had to hold the line on the funding.

“We want to establish a floor, but the revenue is all based on the assessments,” said Bunting. “While the assessments go down, it doesn’t make it any cheaper to run a fire company.”

Berlin Stormwater Fee

After the town of Berlin passed a graduated stormwater management fee for residential and commercial properties this year, it became apparent Worcester County would have to pay the fees for the properties it operated within the municipalities, which is reflected in the fiscal year 2014 budget. County officials aren’t happy about the new expenditure and vowed to revisit the issue with Berlin officials.

“We have five buildings so we’re going to have to come up with a lot of money” said Bunting. “I think we need to have a talk with the town and see why we’re not exempt. We’re not a business and we’re not a residence. We’re providing services.”

Atlantic General Hospital

Since its inception decades ago, Worcester County has been a partner in Atlantic General Hospital and provides grants of various amounts in each budget cycle. Last year, AGH asked for and received $50,000 from the county, but the request has jumped to $100,000 this year. Some commissioners questioned the increase, pointing out the hospital’s thriving economic condition, citing the facility’s own publicized bottom line.

“I know they need more money and I know what it’s for, but it’s not for expansion,” said Shockley. “I don’t have a problem with the $50,000 we gave them last year. I just don’t know why they keep coming back for more.”

However, Commissioner Louise Gulyas said the county had a fiscal responsibility to support the hospital and her colleagues approved the $100,000 expenditure.

“It’s a community hospital,” said Gulyas. “We said from the get-go we would support this and they really need this money.”

Showell Elementary

There was come discussion about pushing back a planned study of Showell Elementary School another year to save $100,000 in the current budget. Showell Elementary is the next county public school in line for replacement or rehabilitation and a top to bottom study is the next step in that process but it comes with a $100,000 price tag. With Snow Hill High School renovations set to get underway, some wondered if Showell should be put on the back burner this year.

“The thinking is Snow Hill High School won’t start until summer of 2014 and it’s a three-year project, so there is no way to start Showell until Snow Hill is substantially done,” said County Administrator Gerry Mason.

Mason said the $100,000 study would include a systematic check of the entire school to see whether it could be restored and rehabilitated, or if it had to be completely replaced.

“They’ll look at the school from top to bottom and look at all of the systems from heating and air to plumbing and wiring and see if it needs to be scrapped like OCES, or if it can be remodeled,” he said.

After some debate, a consensus was reached to keep the $100,000 Showell Elementary study in the budget.

“I feel strongly they need a new school” said Commissioner Judy Boggs. “It’s a lot like OCES. Children that age don’t adjust well to change. My understanding is there is enough acreage to build a new school while the old school stays open.”

Snow Hill Opera House

Earlier this month, the County Commissioners heard a plea from the town of Snow Hill for a $200,000 grant to help stabilize and restore the old Mason’s Opera House, which has been re-christened the Arts and Education Center in Snow Hill. The project calls for restoring the historic structure and creating an arts and entertainment hub in the county seat, but the Commissioners were not ready to make the entire $200,000 investment this year.

“I think it’s an admirable project, but they need to go out and get some donations to sustain it,” said Bunting.

Boggs said Snow Hill should be given the entire grant because of the precedents already set.

“I’m in favor of giving Snow Hill a chance,” said Boggs. “We’ve supported Ocean City and the Art League, and we’ve supported the Marva Theater in Pocomoke.”

Boggs made a motion to include $200,000 for the project, but the motion failed. Shockley then made a motion to include $100,000 for the Snow Hill Opera House with the stipulation the money would be used to stabilize the structure until a long-term solution could be found and that motion passed.

County Approves Employee Raises; Bus Contractors Get Lower Amount

SNOW HILL — Worcester County employees and teachers will get a raise in the upcoming fiscal year, but it likely will not be what they were hoping for.

During budget deliberations on Tuesday, the County Commissioners began a line-by-line inspection of the fiscal year 2014 to close the estimated $7 million gap between requested expenditures and anticipated revenue and naturally the conversation eventually came around to salary increases for county employees, teachers and school bus drivers.

On the table was an across-the-board 2.5-percent salary increase for all county employees including teachers, but after considerable debate, the commissioners voted for the two-percent increase option.

Setting the county employees’ salary increase and Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) increase at 2 percent would make the entire salary package come at around $1.7 million, or nearly $400,000 less than the 2.5-percent increase. While some commissioners were in favor of the two-percent increase option, others wanted to hike county employee salaries by the requested 2.5 percent.

“We’re supposed to have the best school system in the state, and the state has the best school system in the country,” said Commission President Bud Church. “And yet we’ve dropped from sixth or seventh in the state in terms of salaries to 15th. I’m not sure that’s fair.”

County Administrative Director Gerry Mason pointed out the 2-percent increase for county employees last year actually resulted in a net deficit. For example, an employee making $30,000 saw an increase of $600 per year with the 2-percent increase, but with taxes and insurance increases, that same employee spent about $647 more in fiscal year 2013, representing a loss of $47 despite the raise.

Commissioner Judy Boggs said despite the savings realized by dropping from 2.5 percent to 2 percent, the requested salary increase should be fully funded.

“We’re saving almost $400,000 by reducing the increase to 2 percent,” she said. “I think we should keep it at 2.5 percent. If we can do it, then we should.”

However, Commissioner Jimmy Bunting said the only likely way to fund the entire 2.5-percent increase was to make up the difference from the county’s budget stabilization fund created to offset unexpected shortfalls.

“We’re going to have to rob and steal from that budget stabilization fund in order to do this,” he said. “We can’t spend money we don’t have.”

After a motion to set the salary hike at the requested 2.5 percent failed by a 4-3 vote, a second motion was made to set the increase at 2 percent. That motion passed by a vote of 4-3 with Church, Boggs and Commissioners Virgil Shockley and Jim Purnell in favor.

However, the commissioners still had the issue of salary increases for school bus drivers to consider and that debate touched off some fireworks.

Shockley and Purnell recused themselves because they are school bus contractors, leaving only five commissioners to debate the bus driver salary increase. A first motion to set the school bus salary increase at 1 percent passed by a 3-2 vote, but the measure failed because a majority vote of four was needed for it to pass. A second attempt at a 2-percent increase for bus drivers met the same fate when the vote was 3-2 but four votes were needed.

The remaining commissioners then compromised and voted to approve a 1.5-percent increase for bus drivers, touching off a rant from Purnell, who listened to the debate from a hallway behind the dais.

“You showed me today what you think of us bus drivers,” he said. “You sat up here and voted for a 2-percent increase for county employees and the Board of Education and then you turned around and stabbed us in the back. That is a total insult.”

Salisbury Bike Path Network Gets Funding

SALISBURY – The funding has officially been put in place to begin the initial phase of a bike path network throughout the City of Salisbury.

The first resolution to come before the City Council on Monday evening was to authorize Mayor Jim Ireton to sign the grant agreement and accept a grant of $13,750 from the Maryland Department of Transportation’s Maryland Bikeways Program for the provision of the initial two miles of pavement marking and signage necessary to create a bike path “Spine” route from downtown Salisbury to Salisbury University. The total cost of the project is $25,000.

According to the resolution, the Maryland Department of Transportation and the City of Salisbury have been working together to improve bicycle connectivity between the Downtown Central Business District and Salisbury University.

The bicycle facilities improvements to be constructed include the creation of a bike route, which will run from the intersection of Camden Ave. and West College Ave. to North Division St. near the Government Office Building, providing dedicated bicycle-only lanes and shared bicycle and motorized vehicle lanes, lane striping for dedicated lanes, shared lane markings for shared lanes, bicycle markings on the pavement, and bike route signage along the route.

The city is agreeing to provide 45 percent of the project costs in matching funds, including private contribution and/or services of actual project costs, in amount not to exceed $11,250 for the pedestrian-and-bicycle facilities improvements.

The project will enhance bicycle safety and access to the Maryland Blue Crab Scenic Byway and will improve bicycle circulation in downtown Salisbury and the vicinity of Salisbury University.

Matt Drew of bike-SBY, which has been an organization involved throughout the entire process, explained this started out as small personal project of his own and had grown to involve many others.

“The basic concept is to connect people from where they live to where they either work or go to school, and where that commonality in pattern of travel to start creating bike lanes so we can promote cycling,” Drew said. “What popped out of that initial study was 18 miles of a network within the urbanized part of Salisbury that we didn’t have connectivity with bike lanes, and there is actually over 6500 people that live within a core area of Salisbury that live less than 2 miles from where they either go to school or work, so by creating this bike lane network we can in essence connect this blatant demand for bike with people who could use it.”

Drew furthered the initial “spine” route is a north/south connector that runs through the center of the network, and there are hopes to break out east and west from the route to create other north/south routes.

“Thank you all for your patience,” Councilwoman Terry Cohen said. “We have been waiting patiently here at the City. The State has a process of approval on these plans, and I know Public Works went through a lot going through the plan with the State…so I am very, very happy that we have come to this day in time for the beautiful weather.”

The next resolution on the table was to accept a donation of $2,500 from Salisbury University, a donation of $2,500 from the Seagull Century Foundation, and a donation of $1,250 from bike-SBY that was all included into the city’s contribution of $11,250 for the pedestrian-and-bicycle facilities improvements.

“Thank you to those who are making the donations to help make this possible,” Cohen said.

The council voted unanimously to approve both resolutions.

Salisbury Budget Public Hearing Set For May 28

SALISBURY – With a public hearing approaching, the mayor’s proposed budget, calling for the tax rate to be set up at the constant yield level, passed the City Council on first reading this week.

An ordinance approached the City Council in first reading Monday appropriating the necessary funds for the operation of the government and administration of Salisbury for the period of July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014, also known as the Fiscal Year 2014 budget. The ordinance established the levy for the same fiscal period and marked the appropriation for the water and sewer, parking authority and city marina funds.

The total for the General Fund is set at about $35.6 million, which covers the costs of the City Council and the City Clerk, development service, the Mayor’s Office, promotions, internal services, the city attorney, information technology, planning and zoning, municipal buildings, police, public works, traffic control, fire, building permits, neighborhood serves, dent service and other uses.

is about $53.3 million.
The proposed tax levy is 88.4 cents per $100 of assessed valuation of all real property.

The next ordinance on the table regarding the FY14 Budget is to amend water and sewer rates, to decrease sewer rates by 6.5 percent effective as of Oct. 1 and thereafter. The water and sewer rates are being revised to be in accordance with the proposed FY14 Budget and the appropriations made for the purposed of the Water and Sewer Departments.

“Right now the proposal from the mayor does not exceed the constant yield tax rate, it equals it, and if my understanding of state law is correct that we only have to hold the hearing in the event that we exceed it,” Councilwoman Terry Cohen said. “However, since the council hasn’t yet established what the tax rate is, whether it will come under or goes over, but if it goes over the hearing will need to be held, so to be on the safe side it is being scheduled.”

Currently, Salisbury’s tax rate is set at 81.9 cents. The proposed tax rate calls for over a 6 cent increase.

The council voted unanimously to approve both ordinances in first reading. A public hearing on the proposed budget ordinances will be held on May 28 at 6 p.m. at the Government Office Building.

Noise Violations Lead To Board Limiting Bar’s Music

SNOW HILL — An Ocean City rooftop nightclub, the first of its kind in the resort, will be a whole lot quieter this summer after the county’s Board of License Commissioners (BLC) on Wednesday voted to shut down its nightly music by 8:30 p.m.

Owners of the Galaxy 66 and its associated Skye Bar, a posh rooftop bar on the fourth floor of the popular restaurant at 66th Street, came before the BLC on Wednesday to address repeated official citations and grievances filed by neighbors in the area last summer over the loud music and other ambient noise emanating from the popular nightspot. For years, a smaller version of the Skye Bar existed on the roof of the Galaxy 66 Bar and Grille, but with the blessing of the BLC, owners Roger and Tammy Cebula last year undertook a major renovation of the rooftop space, creating a much larger version of the Skye Bar complete with more dining, live music and disc jockeys.

Last summer, the Ocean City police issued five official noise violation citations and handled scores of complaints from residents in the area about the late night music and loud conversation.

The issue came to a head on Wednesday when the owners appeared before the BLC to address the noise issues. Attorney Joe Moore said the owners were not there to deny the noise and associated complaints, but merely wanted to make some efforts to mitigate the problem. Moore said the owners have been in negotiations with the town’s Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) to allow for a more enclosed rooftop space, but the town was holding the Cebulas’ feet to the fire over parking issues related to the formula for enclosed space for restaurants and bars and that there was hope the impasse could be relieved.

However, the BLC said it was not concerned with the restaurant’s BZA issues and wanted only to deal with the noise issues on their surface. To that end, Moore asked the BLC to consider allowing the Skye Bar to cut off its nightly music at 10 p.m. rather than 2 a.m. in an attempt to placate the disgruntled neighbors.

Attorney John Robins, a long-time resident in the 66th Street area, who was speaking on behalf of his family and about 35 other families in the area, told the BLC the advent of the new and improved Skye Bar had changed summer life in the roughly three-block area around the facility dramatically last year.

“From my own experience, it has been a problem,” he said. “The concept of running a nightclub from the rooftop is inconsistent with the neighborhood. Frankly, it was a miserable summer. We want Skye Bar to be an asset to the community, but not a nuisance.”

After listening to the testimony and weighing the evidence, BLC members cleared the room for private deliberations and returned a short time later after reaching their decision.

When they returned, Roger Cebula formally apologized and vowed to make the necessary changes to avoid a similar repeat in 2013.

However, BLC Chairman William Esham, Jr. pointed out the first citation was issued last May and the last was issued in October.

“It doesn’t appear to me that you were paying too much attention,” he said. “You have let us down. You were given an opportunity that nobody else in Ocean City ever got before and probably never will again.”

The three-member BLC ruled the Skye Bar will now be forced to shut down music at 8:30 p.m. and will not be allowed to have a disc jockey of any kind. The BLC also fined the Skye Bar $1,000 for each of the five official noise citations.

Pair Arrested For Berlin Burglaries

BERLIN — Two arrests were made this week in the most recent three-week rash of burglaries and thefts in Berlin, and early indications link the suspects to a similar spree that tormented the otherwise quiet town last spring.

Between April 26 and Tuesday, May 14, Berlin Police received several reports of burglaries and thefts from residences in the town. Through the course of the investigation, Berlin Police were able to develop several suspects. On Tuesday, Berlin Police, with the assistance of the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation (WCBI), were able to secure a search and seizure warrant for a residence on Baker Street and arrested James Hughlett, 61, of Berlin.

Through further investigation, officers were able to obtain an arrest warrant for Kate Hughlett, 23, of Berlin, who was located on Wednesday and arrested.

James Hughlett has been charged with two counts of first-degree burglary and three counts of theft. Kate Hughlett was charged with two counts of first-degree burglary and four counts of theft.

The two suspects were taken before a District Court Commissioner and each was ordered held on a $10,000 bond. On Wednesday, James Hughett posted bond and was released. As of yesterday, Kate Hughlett had not been bonded out and remained in custody. James Hughlett has a preliminary hearing set for June 11, while Kate Hughlett’s preliminary hearing has been set for June 14.

The investigation is ongoing and it remains likely additional charges could be forthcoming against the Hughletts. According to a source, personal property stolen from residences during a weeks-long burglary spree dating back to last spring was recovered at the suspects’ residence during the execution of the search and seizure warrant on Tuesday.

The rash of residential burglaries last spring included at least four in the span of eight days and had local residents on edge while the cases went unsolved. One of the burglaries on Washington Street was particularly troublesome because of the extensive amount of senseless damage the suspect or suspects caused on the property.

The first in the spree last spring occurred on Pitts Street on March 22, followed by a second on Kenwood Court on March 23. A third burglary occurred on Broad Street last March 26, followed by the Washington Street incident.

Center Expansion Leads OCHMRA To Seek New Office

OCEAN CITY — The Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association (OCHMRA) is looking for a new home as its current office space at the town’s convention center is needed for other purposes.

In a letter dated May 9, OCHMRA President Chris Trimper broached the relocation issue with the Mayor and Council and requested formal communication with the city on the need for the association to move its offices out of the convention center.

“While we’ve known we’ve been on a month-to-month lease for some time, we find it a little surprising that our office space was not considered in the planning phases,” the letter reads. “We understand from the Convention Center Director and our Executive Director that we will need to find new office space, however, we wish to hear directly from the city leaders on this matter.”

In his letter, which was also signed by 16 OCHMRA Board members, Trimper requested confirmation from the city on three specific issues — whether the OCHMRA will continue to be responsible for the lodging extension of the resort’s tourism phone line, if it will continue to operate the help desk at the visitor center inside the Roland E. Powell Convention Center and whether it can continue to hold meetings in the convention center board room. The OCHMRA has reportedly been promised nothing will change on either of those fronts.

The OCHMRA has leased space at the convention center since 1984. Currently, the space, which consists of three offices and some storage area, is leased for $834 a month, plus telephone expenses.

Mayor Rick Meehan said the OCHMRA was made aware of the likelihood of its space being needed over a year ago. Meehan said the OCHMRA has been permitted to stay through August, but it’s planning to move sooner than that.

“I believe their executive director has been aware of this for at least a year,” the mayor said. “They are our partner, and at this point in time that’s a city building and it worked out for a long period of time and things have changed and we are moving forward. There was plenty of notice given, and I guess now this is going to be another battle. It’s unfortunate.”

Meehan said he was surprised to see the letter from Trimper because he believes the OCHMRA already has a site in mind to move into and has been planning to relocate for some time.

City Engineer Terry McGean said the association offices on the mezzanine will be needed to replace lost storage space and office areas associated with the addition of the performing arts auditorium at the convention center.

OCHMRA Executive Director Susan Jones confirmed her group has known about the need to move, but she said the Board of Directors wanted to hear from the Mayor and Council rather than just through her and city staff.

“We are not trying to be controversial. We have had a mutually beneficial relationship with the city tourism dating back to the ‘70s. Our point in sending that letter was the Board wanted direct clarification from the city leaders as to the next step,” Jones said. “The Board wanted to hear from the Mayor and Council on this decision.”

Jones plans to move the association office within the month to a new 650-square-foot office in mid-town Ocean City. She said the rent is a little bit higher than the current space, but she does not expect it to cause a financial hardship for the OCHMRA.

“We have a tentative agreement on a space that should become our home by the end of June,” Jones said. “It’s not as cheap but it’s close. We are not too concerned about that at this point, and we really think this will be a great move for us and help us further brand ourselves in a unique way.”

County To Grant More Funds To OC

SNOW HILL — Worcester officials this week agreed to adhere to Ocean City’s request to restore the county’s budget contribution to 2009 levels, but not after a considerable debate.

For years, the town of Ocean City and Worcester officials have wrestled over an acceptable formula for grants and other funding from the county to the town and have typically come away at odds over the final appropriation. At the heart of the issue for years has been tax differential, or basically the cost of duplicated services such as police and fire protection, which Ocean City provides for itself, yet is often taxed the same rate the other municipalities in the county.

To that end, several years ago, the county began providing the same basic funding formula applied to the other municipalities including Berlin, Snow Hill, Pocomoke and recently Ocean Pines. In addition, while stopping short of honoring Ocean City’s tax differential request, the county in recent years has provided the resort with an unrestricted grant to offset the perceived differences.

If the county reverted back to the fiscal year 2009 unrestricted grant to Ocean City, that figure was $1.95 million. However, the proposed spending plan for fiscal year 2014 includes a $2.5 million grant to Ocean City. Some County Commissioners on Tuesday questioned why the county was considering more funding.

“I don’t mind giving back, I just want to give them back what they asked for,” said Commissioner Virgil Shockley. “That’s exactly what they asked for. They stood here and said please take us back to 2009 levels and we agreed, so I’m not sure why we’re considering bumping that up by another half a million dollars.”

Commission President Bud Church said the town would likely continue to push the tax differential issue if the county did not sweeten the pot somewhat.

“If we don’t give them a little bit back, we’re going to have to deal with differential and that is going to cost us a lot more money,” he said.

Commissioner Louise Gulyas said Ocean City’s situation is unique in terms of restricted police and fire grants.

“I know it’s formula driven, but they don’t always see it that way,” she said.

However, Shockley countered each of the other municipalities in the county adheres to the same formula but Ocean City.

Each of the other three municipalities will see their annual grant from the county increase from $400,000 to $450,000 this year, while Ocean City will receive the large unrestricted grant. Gulyas said the resort’s importance to the county’s overall economy warrants the difference.

“We’re just being benevolent,” she said. “That’s the largest tax base area in the county.”