OC Should Consider 2-Cent Tax Decrease
Editor:
Just recently, we learned that seven months into Fiscal Year (FY) 21, the Mayor & City Council (M&CC) of the Town of Ocean City are sitting with $10,153,634 in General Fund Balance Reserves over and above their stated policy of a 15% Reserve Fund. That excess reserve amount is the equivalent to 11 cents on the current property tax rate. Here we are in the second fiscal year since the pandemic began, and the town still has a substantial excess reserve fund. This continues to be the trend year after year.
Realistically, no one expects the M&CC to reduce the upcoming tax rate by 11 cents, or even five or six cents, but they should consider a modest two-cent reduction in the tax rate, to give some of the excess taxes back to our property owners. I hope that the M&CC will give this serious consideration as they approach discussions for the FY22 budget.
Vincent dePaul Gisriel, Jr.
Ocean City
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A Salute To 40 Years Of Ocean City Service
Editor:
My dad, John Ashman, is retiring from Comcast Cable on Friday, Feb. 5. He has worked at the exact same office in Ocean City for 42 years, he made the original commute from his home downtown to 83rd Street when he was barely 21 years old and continued the same exact commute through Ocean City until he was 63. Our family built our home on 16th Street in 1942 and from the time my dad made it his own at 17 he has never even begun to think of the idea of leaving OC. Thankful for his role at the cable company, he created his life here. For those that know, you will always see him sitting and reading or playing ukulele on the porch and everyone, I mean everyone, honks and waves to say hello.
My dad is truly treasured by the community. He has helped through hurricanes, power outages and truly any one that has ever needed anything. He has seen businesses grow and change and has done all he can to keep Ocean City safe and family friendly, while continuing to move us forward. He is humble, and kind to all people of this town local or visiting. He writes a poem each Labor Day and Memorial Day to kick off the change of seasons. He loves our town, from our lifeguards, our firefighters and our police officers to Larry Layton’s donuts, sunsets at the Hobbit, a crush from Hammerheads, and some days just a nice beach chair from 85 N Sunny. He loves all things that make this place so great.
He is looking forward to enjoying his time biking through town, supporting the local businesses he loves, playing the ukulele and walking the beach.
Alex Ashman
Ocean City