OCEAN CITY – Some members of the City Council took exception to the idea of granting special exceptions for downtown redevelopment.A new ordinance concerning incentives for downtown redevelopment backtracked from first reading to a future work session on Monday night, after Council took umbrage with certain language in the ordinance, mostly pertaining to granting waivers… Read more »

BERLIN – Plant and fence heights on corner lots in Berlin will still fall under existing regulations after the Berlin Planning Commission rejected suggestions to modify the code, which ensures that motorist sight lines are clear at street corners.The Planning Commission decided to leave the enforcement of those sight lines to Planning and Zoning Director… Read more »

BERLIN – Sewer capacity has become available in Berlin, ending a de facto moratorium that has lasted for years, now that the Berlin Mayor and Council has passed new sewer rules.With the new wastewater regulations approved last week, after two years of development and discussion, the town of Berlin can release about 458 EDUs for… Read more »

OCEAN CITY – Robert Melvin’s simple plea to the Mayor and City Council does not appear to have a simple solution, even after the third try.Melvin, a local handicapped resident who utilizes the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) vans that Ocean City provides, came to City Hall for a third time in recent months to… Read more »

NEWARK – Worcester education officials did an abrupt about face on Tuesday, just before adopting its proposed fiscal year 2010 budget, when it came to light the spending plan would not comply with a seldom-evoked state law requiring a local contribution equal to the prior year’s allocation per student.Shortly after reviewing its rather dire fiscal… Read more »

SNOW HILL – Local elected officials will not oppose a change in slots legislation assigning a percent of future slots revenues to a local housing development, but will testify before the Maryland General Assembly seeking clarification of the role of a development council potentially with the power to approve or disapprove slots impact spending.The 15-member… Read more »

SNOW HILL – Controversy over the Worcester County Board of Education budget continues, with county elected officials surprised over the board’s sudden invocation of a state regulation requiring flat funding of the schools on a per student basis.“I’ve sat here for 11 years and didn’t have the faintest idea what Maintenance of Effort was until… Read more »

OCEAN CITY – The City Council denied promoters their request to sell beer on the beach during the AVP Crocs Volleyball Tour in June, citing double standards and preaching mutual benefits.In an unanimous decision, City Council members granted organizer Brett Wolf of Corrigan Sports the ability to charge admission during the event, but thwarted his… Read more »