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MAY 5, 2017
SERVING NORTHERN WORCESTER COUNTY
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OCEAN CITY SPRINGFEST Four-day festival includes food, live musical entertainment and arts and crafts – Page 65
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Liquor at Bikefest gets dry response Beer, wine allowed, but council sees no point in cocktails too
BRIAN GILLILAND/OCEAN CITY TODAY
COMING AT YOU Andrew Tynikov from Russia, won the People’s Choice award during the 47th annual Ward World Championship Wildfowl Carving Competition, held at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center on 40th Street, last weekend.
By Katie Tabeling Staff Writer (May 5, 2017) After a discussion on where alcohol fits into city-sanctioned events, Ocean City officials on Monday rejected a proposal to sell liquor at a OC Bikefest event this fall. Bikefest organizer Kathy Michael had applied for a memorandum of understanding with the city, agreeing that event promoter OC JAMS would pay $86,900 to use the inlet lot and the convention center on 40th Street for Sept. 14 -17. She also asked about the possibility of adding liquor sales to the event, which already has permission to offer beer and wine. In the past six years, the motorcycle event has been funded through Tourism Advisory Board (TAB), which provides seed money to get new events running. Bikefest has traditionally been met anxiously by the past councils, based on the perception that it attracts a rougher element to the resort. In 2016, the council approved $10,000 to defray costs for a final time.
That year was the most successful Bikefest so far, drawing around 175,000 people. Councilman John Gehrig, who was a strong advocate for Bikefest during his tenure on TAB, supported allowing liquor sales at Bikefest events and received backing from It’s about the Councilman D e n n i s fact we’re a family town Dare. B u t and there is Councilman plenty of W a y n e H a r t m a n availability of had prob- liquor already.’ lems with — Councilman this request. Wayne “I have Hartman concerns with crossing that line to allow liquor. It’s not this individual promoter, it’s about the fact we’re a family town and there is plenty of availability of liquor already,” he said. “To add liquor is setting us up for potential problems. We’re a family town.” Hartman also maintained that liquor could increase the public’s discomfort. “With the number of bikes in town that weekend, it’s already intimidating for a lot of See COUNCIL Page 5
OC awaits county’s next move on tax differential With $50,000 set aside in war chest, resort City Council seek legal remedies
By Katie Tabeling Staff Writer (May 5, 2017) Ocean City officials are prepared to resume fighting for tax differential, but they say they’re waiting to see what the Worcester County Commissioner will do next before taking the matter to court. “We’re in a holding pattern,” City Manager Doug Miller said. “We’re want to see what the commissioners do in their budget in terms of reimbursing us.”
Since 1999, the City Council has asked for a lower tax rate for Ocean City property owners. Their argument is that resort taxpayers pay for county services — emergency services, for instance — they don’t use because the city offers them as well. Earlier this year, the City Council voted to start exploring legal options to force the county to grant a differential. Elected officials have been quiet on a possible lawsuit since. There is $50,000 included for tax differential in Ocean City’s budget of legal expenses for fiscal year 2018. But Miller said there’s still time for the dispute to end amicably if the county increased its grant funding. “We’re waiting to see if they’re going to send $3 mil-
lion or if they’re going to send $7 million in grants this year, like the tax study said,” he said. Worcester County officials commissioned a tax study in 2016, which showed that Ocean City is paying $7.8 million in duplicated services. This also bolstered Ocean City’s argument, as officials had a tax study revised in 2013 that claimed there was $17 million in duplicated services. Resort officials were hopeful that the door for further discussion was opened. Instead, it slammed shut in January when the commissioners voted 6-1 to continue using annual grants to compensate the municipality. Worcester County provides municipalities and Ocean See CITY Page 7