Ocean City Mayor and City Council Work Session - December 9, 2025

The Ocean City Mayor and City Council held a work session on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, starting at 1:00 PM following a closed session from 11:45 AM to 1:00 PM on legal and real estate matters. The meeting adjourned at 3:28 PM. Councilmember DeLuca was absent. Key agenda items included discussions on citywide cell and internet connectivity, the Baltimore Avenue project, and approval of multiple items including the Route 50 bridge lighting, EV charging station replacement, and a new parking payment option.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of minutes from the November 25, 2025 work session and December 1, 2025 regular meeting. Motion by Councilmember Yates, second by Councilmember Matresic, passed unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Holly Donovan (132 Peachtree Road) spoke on agenda item B (cell towers), opposing cell tower equipment in residential neighborhoods. She warned that federal actions (FCC docket 25-276 and HR 2866) could strip local control, citing a 20% decrease in real estate values from such towers. She reported that Montego Bay already has good reception from a water tower, with testing showing -97 dBm, and supported Comcast's planned upgrades to 10 Gbps.
• Dennis (address not given) spoke on item F (Baltimore Avenue), arguing the town can afford the project due to separate funding sources (water/wastewater funds, food and beverage tax, partnerships). He noted the $20 million federal grant is a rare opportunity and that the town's bonded indebtedness is well below its limit.
• Joe Wilson (substituting for Zach Bankard of OCDC) spoke on item F, supporting the full Baltimore Avenue project including widened sidewalks, but also a scaled-down version of burying utilities. He stated that requiring redevelopment projects to bury utilities makes some projects economically infeasible, and that the "no man's land" between Baltimore Avenue and properties needs to be addressed.
• Peter Bus (707 North Baltimore Avenue) spoke on item F, urging the council to move forward with any scope to avoid losing the $20 million federal grant. He suggested phasing the project, e.g., from 9th to 15th, then Division to 5th, to retain the federal money.

Discussion Items

• Item B: Citywide Cell and Internet Connectivity – Presentations by Chris Comer (Comcast Director of Government Affairs) and Paul Plymouth (Verizon Director of State Government Affairs). Comcast highlighted $900 million invested in Maryland over three years, upgrades to 1.2 Gbps speeds with upload speeds increasing from 35 to 100 Mbps, and future full duplex offering 2 Gbps symmetrical. Verizon discussed insufficient wireless capacity, especially during special events, and ongoing deployment of small cells on the boardwalk and other areas. They requested a special waiver to the summer construction moratorium for night work. Council members expressed concerns about service reliability in summer, questioned the difference between fiber and coax, and asked about prioritization for first responders. Verizon noted that 5G Home Internet is available but not yet widely due to capacity constraints.
• Item C: Route 50 Bridge Lighting Project – Presented by Tom Perlozzo. Request to install decorative lights on 36 poles on the Route 50 bridge, funded by concert ticket revenue (not property tax). Approved unanimously.
• Item D: Replacement of EV Charging Stations – Presented by Scott Wagner. All 16 existing stations to be replaced by Easy Volts at no cost to the city. Revenue share: 20% of net electricity revenue plus all parking revenue. Current DCFC stations have been non-functional for 2.5 years. Company promises 24-hour response time. Approved unanimously.
• Item E: Passport Mobile Pay – Presented by Scott Wagner and Jon Anthony. Adding Passport as an alternative payment app to ParkMobile, at no cost to the city. Passport will pay for new signs. Both apps will share data. Approved unanimously.
• Item F: Baltimore Avenue North Division to 15th Street Project – Extensive discussion led by Public Works Director Hal Adkins. The scaled-down version (underground utilities only, no sidewalk widening) is estimated at $44.8 million. A federal grant of $20 million (80% match) requires a $5 million city match to use the full grant, limiting the project to $25 million total. Council debated affordability: doing the full $45 million project would increase debt service by 32% ($1.825 million annually for 20 years). Councilmember Garrett proposed starting at North Division and going north as far as $25 million allows. Motion by Councilmember Garrig, second by Councilmember Savage, to approve a scaled-down version from North Division northward within $25 million budget. Passed 6-0. Adkins noted urgency to meet the September 30, 2027 obligation deadline and requested a resolution for forward funding on December 15, 2025.
• Item G: FY26 Budget Amendment #1 – Presented by Budget Manager Jenny Knapp. The amendment quantifies changes since budget adoption, including a $2.37 million increase in the general fund budget, a $1.6 million increase in use of fund balance, and adjustments across all funds. Notable items: $3 million from wastewater reserves for headworks, $3.6 million in airport grants, $100,000 for county anti-wind campaign, and $54,000 for fire department deployment analysis. Moved to ordinance form for first reading on December 15, 2025. Approved.

Key Outcomes

• Approved unanimously: Minutes from Nov 25 and Dec 1 meetings; Route 50 Bridge Lighting Project; EV Charging Station Replacement; Passport Mobile Pay contract; FY26 Budget Amendment #1 (moved to ordinance).
• Approved (6-0): Baltimore Avenue Project – scaled-down version from North Division northward, not to exceed $25 million total project cost, leveraging the full $20 million federal grant. Staff directed to proceed with design and secure funding, with a resolution for forward funding to be presented on December 15, 2025.