Ocean City files app. for state transit grant

Award, with local match, to cover artic buses, operating costs, maintenance, more

By Mallory Panuska Staff Writer

(May 19, 2023) With more than $963,000 in matching funds in the fiscal 2021 budget, Ocean City is poised to receive a nearly $3 million state grant for transportation expenses.

At a meeting Tuesday, council members authorized submission of a transportation grant application to the Maryland Transit Administration for funds to carry out goals of the resort’s annual transportation plan.

The total request, which came to a little over $2.9 million, with a local match of more than $1.1 million, will cover the purchase of two new 60foot articulating buses, as well as costs for general net operations, preventative bus maintenance and Americans with Disabilities Act services.

The application was filed after a public hearing period expired and officials expect approval at the state level.

According to a staff report, the articulating buses, which will come used, cost $800,000 each for a total

$1.6 million. The local match is 10 percent, or $160,000, which will come from fare revenues from last year.

The general public transit service net operating costs come to more than $2.17 million, with a required local match of nearly $1.47 million. Profits from the tram division are set to cover more than $600,000 of the total, with the remaining over $862,000 included in the fiscal 2024 budget.

Preventative maintenance costs for buses are slated to total $675,000, with the local $67,500 match funded within next year’s budget. The ADA costs came out to more than

$143,300. The local match, which will also be funded in the fiscal 2024 budget, is about $33,300.

With the $160,000 artic bus funds covered with last year’s revenues, the total to be budgeted in fiscal 2024 is $963,213, which council members unanimously signed off on Tuesday.