Mayor Cites Safety Concerns as Ocean City Council Considers Abandoned Property Ordinance

Once again, Ocean City Council took a step to give the City more power to handle abandoned and vacant properties on Thursday night.

Council approved an ordinance that calls for a public officer, to be appointed by the mayor, to establish an abandoned properties list with a vote of 7-0.

The officer won’t have broad power, and will have to follow a set of guidelines, Ocean City Solicitor Dorothy McCrosson said Thursday night.

The ordinance was initially introduced and approved on April 23 in response to three gas stations that are not being maintained on 9th Street, but was allowed to die on second reading so that a supporting resolution could be drafted.

That resolution was approved on May 28.

The owners of the gas stations continue to pay taxes, but are making no effort to maintain the properties, McCrosson said.

She said fines that the City typically levies that usually motivate property owners to maintain their property have had no effect in these cases.

“We’re trying to get people to be responsible. That’s as simple as it gets,” Mayor Jay Gillian said. “ … There’s a ridiculousness about this that’s forcing our hand.”

He said there were two dozen propane tanks open at one gas station, and that some gas tanks were blowing in the wind.

“Is someone supposed to get hurt? We’re just trying to clean it up,” Gillian said.

Once the list is established, the City will take inquiries from anyone interested in those properties. The owner will also be able to ask to have the property removed from the list and returned to their control.

The City’s rights to the property will include putting the property up for tax sale, sending it into foreclosure, steps to rehabilitate the property and taking action against the owner, among other actions.

The City will take every precaution to ensure second homeowners won’t have their properties placed on the list if they aren’t around for an extended period of time.

“I find it shocking that with all the public discussion and publicity from the media, that they’ve made no effort to clean up these properties,” Councilman Michael DeVlieger said. “You’ve given them every opportunity.”

The public hearing and final reading are scheduled for June 25.