Resort changes ordinances, compensation range
By DAVID NAHAN
Sentinel staff
OCEAN CITY – Ocean City Council made a subtle but important change to its ordinances on bulkheads and increased the maximum pay range for the police chief and fire chief.
At Thursday’s City Council meeting, an ordinance was adopted raising the maximum salary for department heads, including the police chief and fire chief, which in 2017 was set at $90,000 to $160,000.
City Solicitor Dorothy McCrosson explained state law requires a police chief to be paid 10 percent higher than the next ranking member of the department (captains). The current ordinance did not allow the chief to be paid that amount with the latest contract.
The ordinance also notes the fire chief was already at the current salary cap and the negotiated salary would exceed that cap.
McCrosson said the new ordinance would allow the city to keep both chiefs at their negotiated salaries and provide room in the future for growth in salaries without having “to bring it up every year.”
The new maximum salary for both positions will be $195,000.
The solicitor said there isn’t a state statue about the fire chief’s pay, but the administration believes it should be the same for both the police and fire chiefs.
Council unanimously approved the ordinance on first reading. Second reading and a public hearing will be at the March 11 meeting.
Bulkheads
City Council also unanimously approved an amendment to the city’s ordinance on the construction and maintenance of bulkheads.
The original ordinance (87-17) requires property owners to maintain their bulkheads and to repair them if they have deteriorated to the point they are posing a danger to the property or to an adjoining property.
The new ordinance amends that to posing a danger to the property, adjoining property “or other nearby properties.”
McCrosson said that was done because a city inspector could only take action on a failing bulkhead at the property or adjoining properties. “They pointed out in some cases it’s not just the immediately adjoining” properties that could be damaged, that damage could be taking place “a few houses away,” she said. “It broadens the perspective for the inspector.”
Third Ward Councilman Jody Levchuk said the problem is “clear as day” in the West 17th Street neighborhood, which has experienced consistent flooding problems. “The scope of the problem is beyond just the connecting properties. It seems the obvious thing to do to protect any homeowner from another homeowners’ irresponsibilities,” he said, adding it would be good to find a way to enforce it without causing undue hardship on the property owner with the bad bulkhead.
Councilman Keith Hartzell said he would like state and federal lawmakers to find ways to come up with funding to help homeowners who can’t afford expensive bulkhead repairs. He said it would make sense to find funding because the state and federal governments are concerned about flooding and it could save a lot of money by preventing flood damage.