OCEAN CITY — Three important ballot questions during Tuesday’s municipal election in Ocean City each passed with one being close.
When Ocean City voters headed to the polls on Tuesday, they had to choose from four candidates for three open council seats, including two incumbents and two newcomers. When the votes were counted, Council President Matt James, along with real estate broker Carol Proctor and local businessman and firefighter Will Savage were chosen to fill the three seats. Mayor Rick Meehan, whose position comes up every two years, was unopposed and retained his seat.
Ocean City’s voters on Tuesday were also tasked with deciding on three ballot questions, two regarding an increase in the salaries for the mayor and councilmembers, which had not been changed in decades, and one referendum question regarding a change in the formula for how a percentage of the room tax collected in the resort is distributed to marketing and advertising. Each passed when the votes were counted, but the latter passed by a narrow margin.
In December, a divided council approved an ordinance that would gradually scale up the percentage of room tax revenue dedicated to destination marketing, advertising, promotions, sponsorships, special events and the like over the coming years. For example, for fiscal year 2023, 2% of the room tax revenue would be dedicated to destination marketing, with that figure increasing to 2.1% in fiscal year 2024 and 2.2% in fiscal year 2025 and beyond.
After a successful petition for referendum, the room tax distribution formula change ended up on Tuesday’s ballot. It did pass, but the margin was comparatively slim. When the votes were counted, 1,039 voters supported the room tax formula change, while 991 did not, representing a margin of just 48 votes.
Another ballot question on Tuesday dealt with a proposed increase in the mayor’s salary from the current $30,000 per year to $50,000 per year. For the record, the salaries of the mayor and council had not been changed since 1989. The ballot question regarding an increase in the mayor’s salary passed rather easily, with 1,223 voting in favor and 823 voting against the proposal.
Similarly, a ballot question that would increase the council and council president salaries, which also had not been increased since 1989, each passed by a similar margin. As a result, a councilmember salary will increase from the current $10,000 to $20,000, and the council president’s salary will increase from $11,000 to $23,000. On that question, 1,210 voted in favor and 845 voted against.
