Ocean City Holds Off On Ad Campaign Advocating For Post-Labor Day School Start

OCEAN CITY – A potential advertising campaign to gain support for pending state legislation that would have schools start after Labor Day was postponed this week to avoid any kind of conflict with the political arena.

Last week Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan testified before the Maryland Senate about the benefits associated with schools going back in session after Labor Day and extending the summer season for another week. This week city officials returned to Annapolis to testify over the same legislation in front of the House of Representatives.

The process began almost a year ago when Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot met with Ocean City business leaders to jumpstart his initiative to push the start of the school year back after Labor Day, citing the economic benefit to the state while maintaining the mandated number days in the school calendar. Meanwhile, Greg Shockley, who chairs the state’s Tourism Development Board, approached Sen. Jim Mathias about introducing legislation to at least study the issue and the senator obliged.

Mathias recently introduced a bill to create a task force to study the issue of having schools begin after Labor Day from all sides. The task force would include state and local elected officials, school administrators, teachers, students and parents and business leaders. Mathias said he was keenly aware of the potential impacts on the school calendar, but hoped a compromise solution could be reached.

With the news of the pending legislation, during a Tourism Commission meeting last Friday MGH Advertising President Andy Malis presented a “fun tongue in cheek” campaign that would promote support for students to return to school after the Labor Day weekend and in turn have attention stirred up towards Ocean City.

“To me it should be a criminal act to start school before Labor Day, and I always thought it could be something we could have fun with but I also realize it is a political issue and education is the bottom line,” Malis said.

Malis presented the campaign, which is similar to small quirky campaigns Ocean City has published in the past, such as the Cicada-free and end-of the-world advertisements that tempted readers to escape to this area.

Recognizing the fact the campaign revolves around a current political issue, MGH had a public opinion company take a survey early last week. Out of the respondents with children in Maryland schools, 79 percent responded they were in favor of schools holding off until after Labor Day.

MGH came up with two ads beckoning the children of Maryland to “nag” their parents to sign a petition supporting schools starting after Labor Day.

Sections of the ad read, “The government is stealing your fun. In the State where we live, it is Maryland in case you haven’t gotten to that in Social Studies yet, school systems have been systematically shortening your summer vacation. In some cases school now begins on Aug. 20, more than a full month before the actual end of summer. That’s just wrong.

“What those in power don’t want you to know is it hasn’t always been this way. In fact when your parents were growing up school didn’t start until after Labor Day. That’s right. Your parents and their parents before them spent the final days of August not in a possibly un-air conditioned school room but out in the fresh air of Ocean City, Md.

“We don’t know the long term effects of being denied that extra bit of fun. What we do know is a few more weeks of skeet ball could have finally earned you enough tickets for that lava lamp that you had your eyes on. But that chance has been snatched away from you by well-meaning bureaucrats who have forgotten the value of fun in a child’s life. Think about it a generation will now grow up without the time to fully master the boogie board.

In the meantime, Virginia, among other states, has already adopted an after Labor Day school start. That means kids that live just a short drive away will be getting way more salt water taffy then you this summer.”

A website was proposed to be set up at www.longersummer.com where parents can choose “Yes, I want my kids to enjoy a little more time at the beach just like I did” or “No, I hate fun and I want to pass that onto my children.”

Meehan said, “What we’re asking here is just for a study … it is just saying keep open minded and study it. This will give Ocean City a lot of attention.”

The remainder of the Tourism Commission was in consensus with the campaign moving forward and decided to have Malis present the campaign to the full Mayor and City Council during their legislative session on Monday night.

On Monday night, Malis presented the campaign but the reaction was not as positive as it was at the commission meeting.

“Has there been any thought or conversations over the fact that you are basically using advertising money for political purposes?,” Councilman Brent Ashley asked. “That might not fit too well for some people that are not for this.”

City Solicitor Guy Ayres responded it was not his belief the campaign was the kind of satire that would fall into the political arena but he could see someone making that argument.

Council Secretary and Tourism Commission Chair Mary Knight said the commission was not looking for a final decision from the council that evening. In fact, calls had been made to Maryland tourism officials to receive another opinion on if the campaign would create some sort of conflict.

“Everybody in the room was very excited … they are looking at it as a whole other week at the end of August that would be very big for us…as an economic impact,” Knight said of the Tourism Commission.

Tourism Director Donna Abbott added she personally did not view it as a political ad.

“But it would be important if there is that perception there, not to touch it until the legislature is done,” she said.

When Franchot met with resort business leaders last spring to launch his “Let Summer Mean Summer” and “Line in the Sand” initiatives, the comptroller said the early start date for schools has made it increasingly difficult for small businesses in Ocean City and across the state.

For example, 32 million domestic travelers visited Maryland last year and the tourism sector employs over 340,000 workers with the summer months particularly busy. An August week in Ocean City can generate almost $5 million in state and local revenues, and nearly $3 million can be generated on a holiday weekend.

State law requires a 180-day school year, but Franchot has said he is confident the best public school system in the country would be able to achieve the mandated number of days with a post-Labor Day start.

Minimum Wage Hike Rejected

BERLIN — The latest effort to significantly raise the minimum wage in Maryland died late Wednesday when the Senate Finance Committee voted 8-3 to kill the legislation.

Early on in the current General Assembly session, Senator Robert Gariagiola (D-Montgomery) and Delegate Aisha Braveboy (D-Prince George’s) joined the advocacy group Raise Maryland for a rally in Annapolis announcing proposed legislation aimed at increasing Maryland’s current minimum wage from the current $7.25 to $10 by 2015. Under the proposed legislation, the state’s minimum wage would have increased to $8.25 per hour this year before hitting $9 in 2014 and $10 in 2015. Starting in 2016, the minimum wage would be indexed, or adjusted, annually to keep up with inflation and the rising cost of living.

In addition, the proposed bill would raise the minimum wage for tipped employees, which make up a large segment of the area’s workforce, from the current 50 percent, or $3.63 per hour, to 70 percent. Several states already have higher minimum wages for tipped employees and a handful even require tipped employees to be paid the full 100 percent of the minimum wage.

While increasing the minimum wage for all employees, including a modest increase for tipped employees, was clearly a favorite among the workforce in Maryland, it could have serious implications for the business community still struggling in a staggering economy.

Senator Jim Mathias (D-38) served on the Finance Committee and was among the eight senators to vote down the propose legislation.

“The economy is still very unsettled and this would bring an additional cost to some business just struggling to get by,” he said. “This was a very important issue for our area.”

Mathias said market factors and employee demand should continue to determine what the prevailing wage should be without the state dictating mandated minimums.

“I believe in the judgment of the employer,” he said. “The most important asset for any employer is the employees and I think we need to trust employers to take care of those assets without dictating to them what the minimum wage should be.”

Delegate Mike McDermott (R-38B) said the minimum wage bill never came to a vote in the House, but he said he would have opposed the legislation.

“Using Ocean City as an example, in tough times, we don’t want to drive up the cost of doing business any more than it already has,” he said.

City Awards Ice Cream Truck Franchise Despite Objections

OCEAN CITY – A new ice cream truck vendor has been chosen in Ocean City, despite other potential franchisees asking for the decision to be postponed.

This week the Mayor and City Council scheduled bid openings for the recent vacated vehicle vending franchise, more specifically the roaming ice cream trucks that work Ocean City. The franchise will be a term for four years with only one franchise holder. The franchise holder is limited to a maximum of six trucks. The bids had to be submitted to the City Manager’s Office no later than 11 a.m. on Monday, March 18.

Before the bids were opened during the Mayor and City Council legislative session on Monday evening, Francis Hooks of Salisbury approached the body during citizen comments asking for the bid process to be extended saying he did not have enough time to start up a business and bid.

Hooks explained he has gotten to know Ocean City by spending many years working for well-known Ocean City business owners, as well as received a degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry and worked at John Hopkins in Baltimore. Hooks also worked for the Town of Ocean City testing water.

Hooks furthered he has knowledge on ice cream and the reaction that creates freezer burn and would like to sell better quality ice cream in Ocean City.

“I would like you to consider not opening, or if you do open to look at these bids if they are adequate … Good Humor and the other vendors … just try to make kids happy. I want to make grownups happy in Ocean City this summer and I want to go with high-end, high-cream, and a little bit of high cost, but well frozen ice cream,” he said, claiming he is smart, wholesome and knows good taste and quality when it comes to choosing the right vendor for the ice cream truck franchise in Ocean City.

City Clerk Kelly Allmond said the legal notices announcing the vehicle vending franchise were advertised for two weeks in the local paper as Ocean City’s code requires.

As the bids came up in the agenda to open, Mayor Rick Meehan reminded the council members it is their choice to postpone the opening or move forward. He noted Hooks was not the only prospective business person who argued the town did not allow enough time to accept bids, as another email was submitted by a separate individual stating the same.

“I think everybody has had equal opportunity, and it was advertised correctly.” the mayor said. “The council has the right to reject any bid if they don’t think they are appropriate but at the same time if you do that and open it back up everybody knows what the first bids were.”

Councilman Joe Mitrecic, being in the construction business, stated he has personally gone through bid processes before and it would be unfair not to open the three bids that were received on time and made a motion to move forward.

“It puts the three people that had bid at a disadvantage if we delay this,” Councilman Doug Cymek concurred. “They have to move the lines to get ready for this summer and I wouldn’t want to see any tremendous extensions in this if we didn’t move forward with it.”

Councilwoman Margaret Pillas grew concerned when she learned there was a second complaint about not enough time allowed to place an adequate bid.

“A second person is saying something is not correct or understood by the public, and we are here to make sure the public does understand,” she said.

Council President Lloyd Martin agreed with his colleagues recalling other bids being denied when they come in late.

“They had the appropriate amount of time to get their bids together like the other three bidders … It would be doing them an injustice to allow other to place a bid,” he said as the council voted to move forward in opening the bids.

The winning bid was from Popsy Pop, LLC. out of New Jersey in the amount of $71,200 per year, totaling $282,800 for the four-year term. The other two bids came in significantly lower than what Popsy Pop proposed.

The availability of the franchise came about when the former holder forfeiting his franchise agreement. Patrick McLaughlin, who operated a fleet of ice cream trucks in Ocean City under the name Arctic Inventions, along with other concession businesses in the resort including telescope pictures and beach stands, pleaded guilty last year to federal tax evasion charges and has since forfeited the vehicle vending franchise agreement with the resort.

In October, McLaughlin was sentenced to 10 months in prison for failing to file individual income tax returns and failing to report employment tax withholdings for his Ocean City-based concession businesses over the six-year period from 2003 to 2009. As a result of McLaughlin’s failure to pay corporate, individual and employment taxes, the total tax loss to the government came in at just under $300,000.

Worcester Files Motion To Dismiss Equal Pay Suit

BERLIN — Worcester County this week filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed last August alleging the now-defunct Liquor Control Board (LCB) violated the federal Equal Pay Act by paying female employees at retail outlets less than their male counterparts in the same positions.

Last August, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed the suit in U.S. District Court. The complaint outlines an alleged pattern by the old LCB of undercompensating female retail clerks at the agency’s retail outlets throughout the county compared to their male counterparts that performed the same job.

The allegations date back to as early as April 2010 when the county liquor dispensary operations were still run by the LCB. In 2011, amid significant controversy, the old LCB was dismantled by the General Assembly and the new county-run Department of Liquor Control (DLC) was created to fill the void. The charges of discrimination surfaced early in July 2011 after the DLC assumed control on July 1, 2011, but the allegations stem from alleged wage discrimination carried out by the LCB prior to the takeover and does not implicate the new DLC.

The complaint asks the court to grant a permanent injunction enjoining Worcester County from discriminating against females with respect to their compensation and from paying female employees lower compensation than their male counterparts for performing equal work. In terms of monetary awards, the complaint asks the court to order Worcester County to make whole the slighted female employees by providing appropriate back pay with prejudgment interest in amounts to be proven at trial and an equal sum as liquidated damages.

This week, attorneys for Worcester County filed a motion to dismiss the suit, pointing out the alleged equal pay violations occurred under the watch of the LCB and not the county-run DLC.

“It is undisputed that the county did not employ the affected individuals during the pertinent time period and that it does not fit within the definition of employer found in the Equal Pay Act,” the motion to dismiss reads. “Therefore, the county’s liability hinges on the question of whether it can be held liable under the successor liability theory. Absent any such authority, this court should not extend successor liability to the county and the complaint should be dismissed with prejudice.”

In its original complaint, the EEOC is seeking from the county back pay with interest for the female employees allegedly discriminated against. In most cases, the EEOC asks the court to force the offending party to adjust and adapt its policies to ensure similar discrimination incidents do not happen in the future. However, the county asserted this week because it was not the offending party in the first place, it should not be subject to the typical injunction relief.

“The county acknowledges that in the vast majority of cases filed by the EEOC, injunctive relief is critical to prevent future discriminatory conduct,” the motion reads. “Ordinarily, the EEOC seeks injunctive relief that requires an employer to develop and implement new anti-discrimination policies, provide several hours of anti-discrimination training to employees and management and undergo EEOC oversight for a period of years. Based upon the unique facts of this case, injunctive relief is not warranted.”

According to its motion to dismiss, there are no allegations in the original complaint that the county has ever engaged in unlawful or discriminatory conduct. Instead, the county asserts it admitted recognizing the discrepancies in pay for some former LCB employees and acted swiftly to rectify the situation. In addition, the county points out the old LCB was covered by an insurance policy that could, or should be forced to make the slighted employees whole.

“Therefore, the importance of injunctive relief based upon the facts of this case and this case alone should not outweigh the fact that the LCB was insured during the pertinent time period and has the ability to provide relief to the affected employees,” the motion filed this week reads. “Under these circumstances, the county does not have to, and should not be required to expend limited tax dollars to compensate the affected individuals.”

In May 2011, in advance of the takeover by the county and the dissolution of the LCB, the county began a systematic review of the LCB’s staff to determine which employees would be hired and assigned to the DLC. As part of the review process, it was determined how each employee’s current salary would fit into the county’s “grade and step” wage system.

At the time, the LCB had 38 total employees including nine full-time store clerks, six part-time store clerks and six full-time store managers. Of the nine full-time store clerks, five were male and four were female. It was only after a review of the old LCB employees and their pay structures that the alleged infractions came to light.

Wicomico Seeks To Ease Business Tax Requirements

SALISBURY – Wicomico County is looking to relieve frustration among businesses by exempting manufacturing equipment under certain conditions when determining a company’s assessed value.

The Wicomico County Council introduced legislation Tuesday to exempt from county property taxation manufacturing equipment under certain conditions by reducing the percentage of the assessed value subject to county property tax from 100 percent to 0 percent.

Director of Administration Wayne Strausburg said County Executive Rick Pollitt has determined that the process for granting an exemption for tax on manufacturing equipment is an impediment to the economic development of Wicomico County.

The current code application for exemption states, “any individual, firm or corporation requesting an exemption pursuant shall file an application, under oath, with the Council Administrator of Wicomico County on or before October 1 of the initial taxable year for which the exemption is sought.”

According to Finance Director Andy Mackel, while this seems like a straightforward process, many small businesses unfamiliar with Maryland processes are confused and frustrated when they discover that while the state does not tax personal property, counties may and Wicomico County does.

Further, the county’s requested deadline has led a few companies in recent times to lose out on the exemption for a full year because they missed the filing deadline.

Pollitt wants to change the process because Wicomico County’s current exemption application process places it at an extreme disadvantage because the State Department of Assessments & Taxation web page shows no exemption. Somerset and Worcester counties are the only other counties that do not show 100 percent exemption on the state web site.

“So we are one of three counties in the state,” Mackel said. “So that is a significant detractor in getting new businesses, particularly manufacturing businesses to come here.”

As a result, a potential business will end the consideration of Wicomico County before anyone can tell them that the county does offer a 100-percent exemption of manufacturing equipment.

“So this feature of our code has caused confusion and consternation of local businesses that may not be aware of that requirement and it has frustrated them in the past,” Mackel said.

Pollitt’s recommendation proposes to enhance Wicomico County’s competitive position and streamline the business development process by eliminating the current application process.

There is currently about 57 business with county-approved exemptions. These existing exemptions reduce total revenue from personal property tax by roughly $1,300,000. This will not be affected by the proposed change.

There are however about 17 companies who, for reasons unknown, have never applied for the manufacturing exemption. When this change takes effect, these companies will automatically receive an exemption. As a result, they will pay roughly $27,000 less in personal property tax to the county.

“We believe that is a very small price to pay for the future benefit of improving our competitive position,” Mackel said.

The County Council voted to move forward with the introduction of the legislative bill. A public hearing will be held April 16 at 10:30 a.m. If passed, the amendment will take effect by the start of Fiscal Year 2014.

Storm Leaves County Facing $250K In Park Damage

SNOW HILL — Due to stringent Little League regulations, the loss of one lighting pole in a storm earlier this month at John Walter Smith Park means no more Little League night games can be played at the location until the entire lighting system is replaced, a cost of about $250,000.

For the time being, the Worcester County Commission has decided to hold off on the replacement, instead suggesting that Little League games be held during the day for the time being.

“On Thursday, March 7, 2013, the wooden pole that housed 10 lights on the right side of the field, snapped in half during a nor’easter storm …,” Recreation and Parks Director Paige Hurley reported to the commission. “Without this bank of lights, the field does not meet the lighting standards that had been grandfathered in by Little League Baseball International.”

There are a total of eight lighting poles surrounding the field. With the loss of one of the banks, there isn’t sufficient light for Little League night games. However, just replacing the damaged pole isn’t allowed under league rules, noted Recreation Superintendent Lisa Gebhardt.

“According to Little League you cannot replace one pole. You’d have to replace the entire system because it’s no longer grandfathered in,” she said.

Specifically, according to league standards “any upgrade or addition of lighting equipment to existing systems after July 1, 1992, must be done so that the systems will be in complete compliance with current standards.” This means that to replace one lighting pole every pole on the field must be upgraded as well.

Commissioner Virgil Shockley told Hurley that the requirement seems bizarre as it prevents the county from doing minor improvements by demanding a major one or none at all.

“This is weird, wild,” said Shockley. “One pole goes down and you end up taking 10 [sic] more down with it.”
The cost of replacing all eight lighting installations on the field would be in the $240,000 to $250,000 range, according to Hurley. Instead of going through the cost and effort of replacement, Hurley’s recommendation was that ball games be scheduled earlier during the day this summer to avoid the lighting issue entirely.

He also suggested that the remaining seven wooden poles be removed since lighting standards can’t be met with the current setup and there is some concern over their condition. The commissioners unanimously agreed to remove the existing system at a cost of $2,180.

Worcester Looking To Address $7.3M Budget Gap

SNOW HILL — A first look at Worcester County’s proposed Fiscal Year 2014 Operating Budget shows an increase of over $800,000 in estimated revenue but an anticipated budget shortfall of $7,374,149.

“Based on current tax rates, revenues are estimated to be $166.7 million,” Chief Administrative Officer Gerald Mason explained to the County Commission Tuesday. “Requested operating expenses are $174.1 million which leaves a shortfall of $7.4 million which must be reconciled through reductions in expenditure or additional revenue.”

Though revenues are up, expenses have also increased across several departments, most notably the Sheriff’s Office, up $2,224,744; grants to towns, up $2,261,882; and the Board of Education, up $2,289,949 from the current year. A portion of those costs for both the school system and especially the Sheriff’s Office are related to an increased demand for school safety. Factored into the Sheriff’s budget is roughly $1.7 million for the training and hiring of School Resource Officers (SROs).

However, those costs could come down dramatically if the commission decides not to employ full-time SROs with county vehicles. Without vehicles and only working during the school year, SROs could be placed in every public school facility in Worcester for under $600,000, according to Sheriff Reggie Mason.

On the Board of Education’s side, school security costs were much lower and concentrated mainly on improvements to buildings such as additional surveillance and entry systems. The majority of the increases for the board come from a requested $1,506,896 salary package with a payroll increase of 2.5 percent and a 1-percent Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA). After adjusting for new hires and retirements, the salary increase would cost a net $897,302.

Also included in the Board of Education budget is a $120,000 increase to bus contractors, a starting teacher pay rate increase from $42,222 to $42,644, and $400,000 in one-time non-recurring costs mainly related to technology. The total board requested budget is $76,397,987, an increase of about $2.3 million from the current year.

Because teachers and faculty technically work for the county, a similar 2.5 percent raise and benefits increase has been factored in for all county employees at an estimated net cost of $382,607.

Requests from county municipalities have increased by $2,261,882 this year as well with most applications listing infrastructure improvements and boosting tourism as major goals.

Though total revenue is up for FY2014, property tax revenue will decrease by $3,640,299 due to falling property assessments. Income tax revenue is up by $1,000,000, however, and state grants have increased by about $1.1 million. Federal grants are expected to drop by about $35,000, due to a reduction in the Homeland Security and Crime Analyst grant funds.

Transfers have increased by $2 million from use of revenues from Casino-Local Impact Grant Funds which goes toward the debt service for Worcester Technical High School.

After reviewing this budget, Gerald Mason reminded the commissioners that this is only the earliest look at the county operating budget and it will change before finally being adopted this summer.

There are two budget work sessions scheduled for March 26 and April 9. There will be a public hearing on the operating budget on May 7. If needed, additional budget work sessions will be on May 14, May 22 and May 28. A final budget will be adopted on June 4.

MARP Program Issues Advice For Seal Sightings

OCEAN CITY — With more and more beached seal sightings and strandings in and around the resort area, the National Aquarium’s Marine Animal Rescue Program (MARP) coordinator this week briefed the Maryland Coastal Bays Program and other allied agencies on the appropriate response and reinforced the message the public should report sightings but generally leave the animals alone.

Largely due to a variety of natural and man-made causes, seals, sea turtles and other creatures not typically seem up close and personal are turning up on area beaches. Most are healthy and just resting along their normal migratory patterns, but others are diseased or injured and in need of rescue and rehabilitation.

For over 20 years, the National Aquarium’s MARP program, including a team of local volunteer first-responders along with trained professionals have rescued and rehabilitated countless seals, sea turtles and in some case dolphins and whales from the beaches in the mid-Atlantic region with great success. Most fall into one of three basic categories and the response is adjusted based on a variety of factors, according the MARP Stranding Coordinator Jen Dittmar, who addressed the Coastal Bays program this week.

“A lot of them are not diseased or injured,” she said. “They just get out of their habitat and are in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sometimes, just relocating them is the appropriate response.”

In far too many cases, however, the beached seals and other creatures are ill or injured, requiring a much larger response.

“In other cases, the animals are alive, but due to an injury or illness, they can’t return to their habitat,” she said. “In those cases, we need to intervene and rescue and rehabilitate them before returning them to the wild. Depending on the nature of the illness or injury, that process can be a matter of weeks or several months.”

From around mid-December to late April or early May, more and more seals have been spotted on resort area beaches, which is not unusual. Dittmar said this week most are passing through the area along their normal migratory pattern.

“Seals are semi-aquatic and a lot of them are traveling great distances,” she said. “Sometimes, they’re perfectly healthy but they need to just haul out and rest. They’ll haul out and rest for a day or so in some cases and they’ll turn up wherever they can get out of the rough surf. Most often, it’s right on the beach, but it’s not unusual to see them resting on a boat dock for example.”

Dittmar said the MARP program relies on teams of local volunteers that act as first-responders. The volunteers are trained to know what to look for and often provide immediate care for beached seals and sea turtles, and in some cases dolphins and whales. The MARP volunteers provide care and treatment for the animals until the professionals can arrive from the aquarium.

“The first-responders score the animals on a variety of basic characteristics to determine a course of action,” she said. “In most cases, they don’t even let the animals know they are there because they don’t want to cause more stress to an already stressful situation. That’s why we try to preach to the public not to approach the animals or disturb them because it’s so important.”

Dittmar said typically as short as 15 minutes can be enough time to make an evaluation of a beached seal, sea turtle or cetacean. The location of the animal is often a good indication of its overall health. For example, a seal found just past the high tide line is likely healthy and just resting or sunning, while a seal found rolling around in the surf is likely diseased or injured.

Another important indicator is respiration. MARP volunteers often observe the animal’s breathing by looking at its nostrils, which can determine of the breathing is clear, raspy or gurgled. Oddly, another key indicator is the presence of tears, which is a natural defense mechanism. Healthy seals secrete an abundance of tears to wash sand and saltwater from their noses and mouths while on land.

MARP volunteers also document the behavior of seals and other sea animals discovered on land and the posture is often a great indicator of health. For example, a healthy seal will rest with its back arched in a u-shape with its head and flippers up. A diseased or injured seal will rest with its head and flippers on the ground, indicating the animal cannot support itself on land.

The most common seals found on the beaches in and around the Ocean City area are grey seals and harbor seals, although there have been more incidents recently of hooded seals and harp seals. Because of Maryland’s proximity in the mid-Atlantic, and because of changing trends in water temperatures, what used to be rare sightings and strandings are becoming more frequent.

While seals discovered on the beach are often cute and attractive, Dittmar emphasized the importance of not approaching them or touching them. Instead, she urged local residents and visitors to report seal and other marine mammal sightings to MARP at 1-800-628-9944.

Questions Abound Over Offshore Wind Bill’s Passage

OCEAN CITY — After three failed attempts in prior sessions, Governor Martin O’Malley’s Offshore Wind Energy Act of 2013 was officially approved late last week, but it remains to be seen if the legislation is merely symbolic or if a vast wind energy farm off the coast of Ocean City will become a reality.

Last Friday, the House approved O’Malley’s offshore wind energy bill by a vote of 88-48 after reconciling some of the amendments attached to the legislation by the Senate, which had earlier approved the bill by a vote of 30-15.

The proposal calls for a vast wind energy farm of as many as 40 turbines off the coast of Ocean City in an area designated as a Wind Energy Area in a range from 10 miles to 30 miles offshore. The intent is to diversify the state’s clean energy portfolio by providing as many as 200 megawatts of electricity for Maryland and the mid-Atlantic region.

The future wind farm would connect to a larger main transmission line offshore that would come ashore at some point along the Maryland coast and connect to the transmission system on the mainland for distribution across the grid. With the House approval last week, O’Malley is now prepared to sign the legislation into law and the governor was beaming after the positive vote last week.

“Offshore win is a potential win-win for Maryland,” he said. “This vote positions our state for greater job creation and opportunity, while moving us forward toward securing a more sustainable energy future.”

The key word in the governor’s statement could be “potential” because the passage of the bill by state lawmakers does not guarantee the vast wind turbine farm off the Ocean City coast will ever be built. Nonetheless, O’Malley said the approval represents a significant milestone in the process.

“By advancing this promising green technology, together we have also chosen to do the right thing for our planet,” he said. “Every megawatt-hour of energy we generate from clean wind power is a megawatt-hour of energy we are not burning into our atmosphere through dirty fossil fuels. This is a win for our jobs future, our energy future and, therefore, our children’s future.”

The next step will likely be a review by the state’s Public Service Commission to ensure the interests of the state’s citizens are preserved. The plan calls for the state’s ratepayers to subsidize the future project with an added fee on monthly electric bills. The estimated cost for residential customers comes in at around $1.50 a month, while large commercial users could pay an increase of up to 1.5 percent of their electric bill. Senator Jim Mathias (D-38), who voted in favor of the bill, said this week the PSC will now explore what those fees would mean to the state’s ratepayers.

“Now it goes to the Public Service Commission and the hard part of the bill,” he said. “The PSC has to determine the benefit for all Marylanders and that’s when we’ll see it start to move from a concept to a reality.”

Mathias said he supported the legislation after gaining some assurances his district’s interests were protected. Early on, some of the proposals had the main transmission line coming ashore at Assateague, but that idea was nixed after considerable public and private outcry. The transmission line will have to come ashore at some point along the Maryland coast, but Mathias said his concerns were allayed by some of the amendments attached to the bill.

“I voted for it and I’m satisfied our district’s interests are protected,” he said. “I did all I could to make sure that happened for Ocean City, Worcester County and the Lower Shore.”

Meanwhile, Delegate Mike McDermott (R-38B) voted against the governor’s offshore wind bill, calling it largely symbolic and impractical. He said the bill’s passage does not guarantee the wind farm off the coast of Ocean City will ever be built because of enormous regulatory, environmental and financial hurdles.

“Now comes the hard part, which is the implementation,” he said. “They basically have to go out and market this thing and see if anybody is even interested based on the parameters in the bill. Even with all of the caveats, it’s such a money loser because there is reluctance from the private sector to get involved.”

As he has in the past, McDermott said the bill represented the governor’s intent to add a green feather to his cap.

“So much of this is simply symbolism,” he said. “That’s what’s disturbing about it. We have a governor who put his name on a bill and now he can talk about how much he likes green energy.”

McDermott said those opposed attempted to move away from a grandiose offshore wind farm and focus more on practical smaller projects.

“We tried to get them to focus on small wind projects on farms, for example,” he said. “If we could get farms off the grid, we could have helped the poultry industry while helping the environment, but that isn’t sexy enough. We have this misguided effort to build those big wind turbines off the coast and it’s probably never going to happen.”