Lunch Box GovernanceEditor:Recent actions taken by the Ocean City Council will impose two new taxes on businesses and second homeowners. More importantly, the frenzy of gift-giving to our resort employees, who rank among the highest paid across all municipalities, has been put on steroids with the council’s recent adoption of defined benefit retirements (“DBR’s”) for… Read more »
A Vote For Full-Time Residency AmendmentEditor:I am writing in hopes the Worcester County Planning Commission will return a favorable decision with regard to the proposed amendment concerning full time residency in White Horse Park.I am 63 years old, wheelchair bound, require tube feeding and I sleep on a ventilator. My house has been modified through… Read more »
Ocean City Remains Safe To Visit, LiveEditor:Spending time in Ocean City in early June is always a fun experience. This is true, even more so on the Boardwalk. The families are out and about, the “June Bugs” of Senior Week are celebrating their accomplishments, and those brave enough to do so are enjoying the still… Read more »
Another Perspective On Trash DisposalEditor:The May 31, 2019 issue of The Dispatch contained articles that show the trend toward fewer government services to help the people, the possibility of higher taxes for those fewer services and the plan for more punishment and fines for infringements that are the result of fewer services, plus higher taxes… Read more »
Property Annexation Comes With ConcernsEditor:(The following letter was submitted via email to Berlin Mayor and Council members prior to Tuesday’s meeting on an annexation vote. The writer approved it for publication.)I have some concerns about the annexation proposal that is on the table for tonight. These concerns do not eliminate the idea of annexing the… Read more »
OC Needs To Explore Other Revenue SourcesEditor:I read with great interest Editor Steve Green’s “Between the Lines” accounting of the exchanges between Ocean City Council members concerning the decision to abandon the constant yield formula as a baseline for assessments in favor of a constant rate formula.The comments made by those who support this change… Read more »
Early Warnings UnneededEditor: Is it not bad enough that we have to deal with ridiculous new laws from Annapolis which will hurt our businesses now and in times to come, than to now have to try and understand our local decision making?As I was traveling home from work on the Route 90 bridge, I noticed… Read more »
Continue The Fight, Pray To Cure CancerEditor:Spring showers bring May flowers, Mother’s Day, Springfest and Relay for Life. We are beach people and want warm and sunny weather. When we don’t get it, we become disappointed.In another situation, cancer patients, cancer survivors and cancer caretakers want a sunny cure for this dreaded disease, cancer.Disappointment in… Read more »
Berlin Needs To Follow Standard Best PracticesEditor:The Government Finance Officers Association website details best practices for the level of fund balance that should be held by local governments. While they make exceptions for cities facing unusual financial situations or threat of natural disaster, the rule of thumb is two months of operational expenses (16.7%). In… Read more »
Berlin’s Failure To PlanEditor:My father often told me: failing to plan is planning to fail.Berlin’s recent budget predicament — I loathe to call it a crisis because that word implies something unexpected and dire — seems not only predictable but the predictable result of both a failure to plan and a failure to stick to… Read more »
