Dredging Ordinance, Department of Community Operations on Agenda for Ocean City Council Meeting

Ocean City Council will give final consideration to an ordinance that will help advance the dredging project for back bays and lagoons when it meets at City Hall Thursday night, 7 p.m.

The ordinance calls for the overall appropriation of $2,693,000 and the borrowing of $2,558,350 for various projects, including the $2,632,500 needed to move spoils from Site 83 to Wildwood to pave the way for the dredging project.

It was approved on introduction at the July 23 meeting.

Council will also consider a pair of ordinances on introduction, including an ordinance that eliminates the Department of Community Operations, reinstates the Department of Public Works and incorporates the duties of the former Former Department of Community Operations into other departments.

If approved, the Department of Public Works will now consist of the core divisions that existed prior to the establishment of the Department of Community Operations two years ago.

Engineering will return to Administration, along with Planning and Zoning administration. Several community facing divisions will return to Community Services. This includes licensing, construction code and neighborhood and social services.

“This change is in no way a reflection on performance by the Department of Community Operations,” Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian said in his memo to City Council. “In my opinion, it is essential that we allow our engineering team to focus on capital projects, considering the significant amount of capital we have planned in the years ahead.”

Two years ago, the City combined the Department of Services with the Department of Community Operations.

Last year, the City re-established the Department of Community Services.

The other ordinance calls for an easement in, on, over and across 719 Tenth Street for New Jersey American Water. This is so the water company can replace an old water main that runs underneath the Boardwalk in the Tenth Street area, and services private businesses on the Boardwalk.

There are also 16 items on the consent agenda.

To view the full agenda, click here.

To view the agenda packet, click here.