www.ROCedition.com
R C Edition OCEAN PINES • WEST OCEAN CITY • BERLIN MD
December 1, 2025
THE PEOPLE’S PAPER
Volume 2, Issue 20
Worcester County’s water rate spike sends shockwaves through Ocean Pines By Sherrie Clifford ROC Edition Publisher Worcester County’s sudden water and sewer rate hike is hitting Ocean Pines with a financial impact that residents and businesses say is unprecedented. With increases reaching triple digits in some cases, homeowners are reassessing their personal finances while the Ocean Pines Association (OPA) prepares for a major jump in operating costs that will flow directly into next year’s assessments. For an average household that uses 22,500 gallons of water per quarter, the math is straightforward. At the new usage rate of $5 per 1,000 gallons and a base charge of $209, a typical quarterly bill now totals $321.50 or $1,286 a year. While small increases have occurred
over the years, residents say this level of adjustment is something they have never seen before. Some owners who closely monitor their quarterly usage have said their water habits have not changed, yet their bills have surged abruptly under the new county rates. The financial shock is even more dramatic for commercial users. Southgate Grill publicly shared its most recent quarterly bill of $10,862 for the July through September cycle, a 185% increase from the same period last year despite water usage remaining nearly the same. Public Works confirmed that the meter reading was accurate, no leaks were detected and the bill reflected the county’s updated rate structure. The restaurant’s social media post suggesting a $2 charge for tap water See RATE SPIKE page 2
Commissioners will discuss the water rate spike on Dec. 2 at 10 a.m at the Worcester County Government Center, 1 W. Market St., in Snow Hill. Residents are invited to speak and the meeting will be live-streamed.
Charges filed in crash that killed local landscaper in Ocean Pines By Sherrie Clifford ROC Edition Publisher
ROC Edition • Sherrie Clifford, Publisher
Charges have now been filed for the 2024 crash that killed a local landscaper.
A Parsonsburg man has been charged in connection with the November 2024 crash that killed a Salisbury landscaper along Ocean Parkway. The charges were filed nearly one year after the incident, following a full reconstruction of the events that led to the collision. The crash occurred on Nov. 16, 2024, at about 8:43 a.m. on Ocean Parkway between Briarcrest Drive
and Beaconhill Road. Investigators reported that the vehicle, operated by William R. Lewis Jr., left the right side of the roadway and struck 35-year-old Ramon Ramirez Castillo, who was standing outside a vehicle in front of 47 Ocean Parkway while discussing a landscaping estimate. Castillo died at the scene. A reconstruction of the crash took place over the course of a year and examined physical evidence from the roadway, witness accounts, vehicle
See CHARGES FILED page 3