OC Today-Dispatch FEBRUARY 16, 2024
STUBBORNLY LOCAL, EQUALLY INDEPENDENT
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Another kind of rental license? Officials discuss new permit for short-term units Ocean City employs a onesize-fits-all type of registry even though uses and impacts of these units vary according to length of stay. — PAGE 4
YOUR COMMUNITY Boat show weekend: It may be winter outside, but inside the Ocean City convention center it’s summer, with boats, boats and more boats on exhibit and for sale – PAGE 27
State champs again: The Stephen Decatur wrestling team extends its dominance by winning its fifth straight state title last weekend — PAGE 83
Author to speak: PHOTO COURTESY FRACTURED LENS PHOTOGRAPHY
ON A CLEAR DAY Before the rain arrived, walkers on the beach and Boardwalk took the opportunity for a blue sky Saturday morning stroll in Ocean City.
Ta-Nehisi Coates’ appearance moved to high school due to popularity — PAGE 28
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State change would require $6M more in county funds By Charlene Sharpe Associate Editor (Feb. 16, 2024) Local officials are asking the state to review a formula that would force the county to increase its funding to the Worcester County Health Department by $6 million. The Worcester County Commissioners are supporting Health Officer Becky Jones as she asks Maryland Department of Health officials to review the local contribution required by the Core Funding program. If a change isn’t made, Worcester County will have to increase its Core Funding to the health department from $5 million to $11 million. “We would like to be held harmless and have a continuation of what was agreed upon for this year,” Jones said. Jones met with the commissioners last week to update them on her efforts to find out more about the match required for the Core Funding program. She said she was asking for their approval to request that the state review the current match required. She said she was grateful for the Core Funding the health department received but that she was concerned about the required local match, as Worcester County is now expected to increase its match from $5,015,910 in FY24 to $11,022,10 in FY25. She said she’d searched the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) to see how the match
amount was determined. “It’s pretty clear in COMAR how they determine funding for Core,” she said. “The match, however, we’ve had difficulty finding in regulation.” She said Worcester County currently provided the second highest match amount in the state, behind only Prince George’s County. She said the only reference to the match she’d been able to find was a sentence in a 1996 presentation that indicated the match was tied to a county’s mean property value. “Is property value really the best representation of our county as a whole or are there other metrics that should be looked at to define and determine what each individual county should be responsible for their match?” she said. “These are questions we have posed to the state.” She said in absence of a defined match formula, her department was asking the state to hold the county harmless for the proposed increased and to give Worcester a continuation of the agreed upon FY24 match. The commissioners voted unanimously to support Jones in her efforts to maintain the FY24 match level. “I think it should be noted you have taken the lead statewide on this much to the consternation of some of your colleagues across the state,” Commissioner Chip Bertino said. “It’s very much appreciated here at home.”
Officials approve grant request By Charlene Sharpe Associate Editor (Feb. 16, 2024) Berlin will seek an increase in its unrestricted grant funds from Worcester County. Though Mayor Zack Tyndall’s attempt to organize a unified grant request among the county’s municipalities failed to gain traction, municipal officials agreed this week the town would seek $500,000 in unrestricted grant funds, an increase of a 7.5%, from the county for the coming fiscal year. “I don’t think our $500,000 request is outlandish,” Tyndall said. During Monday’s town council meeting, elected officials indicated they supported the letter Tyndall said he’d be sending the Worcester County Commissioners regarding the town’s grant request for fiscal year 2025. The letter says the town will be seeking $500,000 as well as $10,000 to assist with quarterly promotional videos for the downtown business district. “This bubbled up through the business roundtable we had hosted by the mayor’s office and economic
development,” Tyndall said, adding that merchant meetings also revealed that business owners would like some help with promotion during the change of seasons. The letter also outline the efforts the Town of Berlin made to improve safety on Seahawk Road. The town contracted with a vendor to restripe the road, including directional arrows, crosswalks and no parking zones, as well as a sidewalk extension. While the road is a town road, Tyndall said because of the markings needed for Stephen Decatur Middle School and Stephen Decatur High School, the cost of het project increase. The town is asking the county to reimburse the town for $16,000 of the project cost. Councilman Jack Orris asked if the commissioners had even been aware of the work the town was having done on Seahawk Road. “As far as increased cost, this would be the first time they’re seeing this cost in front of them,” Tyndall said. Councilman Steve Green said the See BERLIN Page 8
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