Draft Budget, Boardwalk Entertainers On Tap For Ocean City Council Meeting

OCEAN CITY, NJ — Details of a proposed ordinance regulating entertainers on the Ocean City Boardwalk were released Tuesday afternoon, and one change concerns the fees to be paid by entertainers.

The $50 annual fee remains, but there is no mention of a $25 application fee in the agenda packet for Thursday night’s council meeting at City Hall, 7 p.m.. The $50 fee is per entertainer, but there is one flat fee for a band.

The fee has been a point of contention for some performers, including two teenagers who have spoken before council when two previous proposed ordinances were introduced concerning boardwalk entertainers. Each time, the proposal was pulled for further examination.

After the teenagers spoke out against the most recent proposal in December, Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian asked members of the city’s Community Services team to meet with performers to set new guidelines.

On Friday, Gillian announced his administration was ready to introduce a new proposal to council that he believes works for everyone. It will be the third proposal on the issue in less than a year, with the original proposal first appearing before council in March of last year.

• On the ocean side of the Boardwalk, within four feet of the railing opposite the street ends at 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 12th, 13th and 14th streets;
• At the ocean fronting beach pavilions located or to be built on the ocean side of the Boardwalk between 5th and 14th streets; and
• On the ocean side of the Boardwalk, within four feet of the railing between 5th and 6th streets.

Performances will take place on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. No performers can remain at the same location for more than four hours in a 24-hour period.

Licenses will be issued by the Department of Community Services, and must be displayed at all times during a performance. They are non-transferable.

Any license for a performer under 18 years of age must include signatures from both the performer and their parents. A picture of the adult must be included with the license.

Sound may not be audible 30 feet from the Boardwalk railing adjacent to where a performer is playing. Performers and their audiences may not block the Boardwalk, and all performances must be family-friendly.

It is one of two proposed ordinances to be introduced Thursday night.

The other proposes appropriating $650,000 and borrowing $617,500 in bonds and notes for acquisition of the property at 1-7 West 9th Street.

Chief Financial Officer Frank Donato will present the 2017 Draft Budget to council. First discussed at the Feb. 23 meeting, the $79,657,919.38 draft budget calls for a $4,188,420.59 tax increase citywide, with the average homeowner ($500,000 home) paying an additional $143 annually.

There will be public hearings and final votes on two proposed ordinances including one for a utility easement at 500 Boardwalk and one to make multiple changes to existing municipal fees.

There are also 16 items on the consent agenda.

To view the full agenda, visit ocnj.us.

Patch file photo