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MARCH 24, 2023
SERVING NORTHERN WORCESTER COUNTY
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COUNTY SAYS ENOUGH
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Special event fees could be more costly Revamp of permit process looks at staff time invested By Mallory Panuska Staff Writer (March 24, 2023) Ocean City staff members were told to go back to the drawing board last week after members of the Tourism Commission balked at their proposal to overhaul the resort’s special event fee structure. At a March 15 meeting, commission members expressed cautious interest in the proposed plan, which aims to get the city more money for the work employees put in during events. But red flags went up when See SPECIAL Page 3
MALLORY PANUSKA/OCEAN CITY TODAY
The fishing vessel Instigator, home port Cape May, New Jersey, waits for high tide outside the West Ocean City Harbor on Wednesday so it can offload its catch of sea bass at the docks. The boat bumped bottom on the way in and had to wait to get enough water under her keel to proceed. In the meantime, the Army Corps of Engineers has canceled plans to dredge the inlet.
Inlet dredging plan canceled Army Corps tells county not enough return on expense to justify channel project By Jack Chavez Staff Writer (March 24, 2023) The Ocean City Inlet dredging project is no more. According to Worcester County Department of Environment Programs Director Bob Mitchell, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently decided against construction to improve shoaling issues at the inlet, saying in a memo that “design work did not meet their net economic benefit targets.” “Obviously, we’re very disap-
pointed,” Mitchell said during the Worcester County Commissioners Meeting on Tuesday. “I respectfully request the commissioners to ask them to come down here and explain it in person. It would be helpful for everybody involved, including the Town of Ocean City.” The commissioners unanimously agreed to request the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to come to a meeting to explain its reasoning. According to Mitchell’s memo, the Corps’ assessment revealed that planned improvements would only reduce dredging by about 50 percent annually. Lack of damage reduction, high costs and negative net benefits influenced their decision.
“The Corps staff working on this project concede that they know this is not the decision anyone wanted, but they wanted to ensure that any proposed measures will address the problem,” the memo states. “Going forward with a ($16 million) project with close to ($8.5 million) of the project costs that will need to be covered by the local partners was not something the Corps was willing to commit, especially in light of the updated modeling and the results from their economic status.” The dredging project was years in the making. The Corps spent roughly 30 days dredging the inlet and the AsSee INLET Page 4
Body cam use helps increase faith in police OC chief reports decline in complaints against officers By Mallory Panuska Staff Writer (March 24, 2023) After just one summer of body cameras, the Ocean City Police Department has reported a noticeable reduction in use-of-force and officer-involved complaints. “What we’re already seeing is an increased public confidence in the department,” Police Chief Ross Buzzuro said at a council meeting Monday while presenting the department’s annual report. The Maryland General Assembly passed legislation in 2021 requiring See COMPLAINTS Page 4