Stop The Subsidizing Editor:The proposed increase in the OC tax rate from $.395 to $.4685 represents a tax rate increase of 18.6 percent.My assessed value didn’t decrease by that percentage. The City Council needs to look for more cuts instead of raising rates to that level.OC is paying for services that the county should be… Read more »
As part of budget deliberations, government officials in Ocean City and Berlin were weighing the allocation of one-time employee bonuses this week as a way, they say, to show appreciation for their employees.Unlike in Ocean City where the topic was initially divisive and split down the typical majority-minority lines, Berlin appears all but certain to… Read more »
State Comptroller Peter Franchot continued his unofficial bid for governor during a few stops on the lower shore yesterday, including an announcement of his desire for a new state policy forbidding school systems in Maryland from ringing their first bells until after Labor Day weekend. He plans to introduce this initiative in the form of… Read more »
Contrasting Figures Simple To Explain Editor,In last week’s edition of The Dispatch, in the section Between The Lines, you posed the dilemma of how two key economic indicators for Ocean City, room and food tax and demoflush numbers seemed to be in conflict during certain periods of time. The reason for this is really quite… Read more »
The prospects of a special legislative session in Annapolis should scare all Marylanders because recent history indicates these short gatherings almost always result in government raising taxes or fees or finding other creative ways to reach further into our pockets.This will almost surely be the end result whenever legislators head back to Annapolis to do… Read more »
Thanks You To Legion Editor:I wish to thank the American Legion Post # 166 for the “WELCOME HOME” held at the Post this past Thursday. The chow was great and the company outstanding.For those that pulled a tour of duty in that rice hole known as Vietnam this was a very welcome change from what… Read more »
With a proposed hike in the gasoline tax seemingly dead, talk turned this week in Annapolis to another sort of revenue mechanism — increasing the sales tax in Maryland.Back in January, Gov. Martin O’Malley first announced his preferred desire to raise the sales tax in Maryland over other alternative increases, such as the one proposed… Read more »
The water in the proverbial fishbowl that is elected office got a little hot this week in Ocean City, as the shenanigans at City Hall continued.The silliness began on April 1 when Councilman Joe Hall ignited another firestorm of controversy via Facebook. He sent a private message through the social network to the Citizens For… Read more »
Shore Justice System Seems Dysfunctional Editor:I want to thank the Coast Dispatch for doing an outstanding job of keeping me updated on the happenings at the beach. As a subscriber, I receive the latest issue in the mail each Monday and I enjoy reading about what has been taking place at my home away from… Read more »
A fine line exists between regulating and over-regulating. Oftentimes, it’s unknown whether that line has been crossed until after the fact. When it comes to the ongoing scooter industry re-evaluation, Ocean City seems to be tiptoeing around it deftly.With their continual proliferation, scooters have become dangerous in Ocean City, particularly on Coastal Highway. However, it… Read more »