Ocean City Mayor and City Council Work Session - January 27, 2026
Ocean City Mayor and City Council Work Session - January 27, 2026
The Mayor and City Council of Ocean City, Maryland held a work session on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, at 1:00 PM (starting at approximately 1:29 PM due to a preceding closed session). The meeting included a retirement recognition, acknowledgment of committee reports, a request to close a portion of an alley, discussion of a zoning amendment for driveway aprons, and the third quarter 2025 internal auditor report.
Retirement Recognition
- Mike VonBank, Wastewater Collection System Supervisor, was honored upon his retirement after 31 years of service with the Town of Ocean City. Mayor Rick Meehan presented a proclamation and a key to the city. VonBank thanked various departments and colleagues.
Consent Calendar
- Police Commission Report (January 12, 2026) – Acknowledged. City Manager Terry McGean noted a correction: an officer on administrative assignment (suspension) was added to the report.
- Transportation Committee Report (January 13, 2026) – Acknowledged as informational only.
- Department Activity Report – Acknowledged without discussion.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public spoke.
Discussion Items
1. Request to Close a Portion of an Alley Located Between 26th and 27th Streets – Presented by Planning and Community Development Director George Bendler and Public Works representative Hal Atkins. The 16-foot-wide, 50-foot-long north-south alley segment dead-ends into the Best Western Flagship property (formerly the Diplomat Motor Hotel). The Harrison Group owns the hotel and adjacent lots and proposes to close the alley section. In exchange, they will reconstruct the remaining alley (16 feet by 100 feet) to 27th Street at their expense, with an estimated cost of $38,000. The alley currently serves no public need. The council voted unanimously to move the matter to a public hearing.
2. Discussion of Proposed Ordinance to Amend Chapter 110 (Zoning) Regarding Driveway Aprons – George Bendler presented a recommendation from the Planning Commission based on a public hearing on October 21, 2025. The proposed amendment requires a minimum five-foot-wide driveway apron between the garage door and the interior drive aisle for townhouse-style multifamily developments on lots greater than 50 feet wide. The apron can be satisfied by recessing the garage. The measure aims to improve turning radius and provide temporary staging space, not parking. The council voted unanimously to send the ordinance to first reading.
3. Internal Auditor Q3 2025 Report – Internal Auditor Karin Scott presented the audit for July–September 2025. Completed audits: impound lot (recommended using police CAD software for towing); direct deposit payroll (25 inactive employees with pre-note glitch, no money exchanged, vendor resolved); Primary Resident Incentive Program (streamlined reconciliation spreadsheet). Ongoing audits: Convention Center daily operations and box office. P-card statistics: 288 transactions totaling approximately $877,000, with 33 purchases over $2,500 resulting in $138,495 spend. 233 active cards; follow-ups on 31 transactions (down 20 from previous quarter). Payroll overtime for Q3 2025: 49,277 hours (compared to 49,791 in Q3 2024, which included the air show accounting for a little over 1,000 hours). Highest overtime areas: police quad beach patrol (655 hours, new program), bike week (+494 hours), crime prevention (+458 hours). Firefighter EMT overtime decreased by 741 hours. A council member inquired whether beach patrol overtime will be budgeted as regular time in the future; City Manager Terry McGean will discuss with the police chief. Other activities include quarterly reviews, pension committee, cash counts, timekeeping system implementation, and counterfeit training.
Key Outcomes
- Alley Closure: Motion to move to public hearing (Councilman Yates, second Councilman Garrick). All in favor.
- Driveway Apron Ordinance: Motion to send to first reading (Councilman Tresick, second Councilwoman Proctor). All in favor.
- Internal Audit Report: Accepted as presented. No formal vote required.
- Adjournment: Motion by Councilman Garrick, second by Councilman Garrett. Meeting adjourned. Mayor Meehan acknowledged the Blood Bank of Del Marva blood drive at the convention center (January 27-28), noting a 27-year partnership with the town.
Meeting Transcript
Ready? Okay, welcome. I'd like to call to order the mayor and city council's work session. It's Tuesday, January 27th at 129. Sorry about the uh tardiness. We had a uh closed session, and it was discuss legal personnel and uh public security matters. Uh persons present were Mayor Rick Meehan, City Manager Terry McGean, Deputy City Manager J.R. Harmon, myself, council members, Savage, Yates, Garrick, Metressic, and Proctor. Matt James will be absent today. He was absent from this closed session. He'll be absent for the entire meeting. City Clerk, Diana Chavez, City Solicitor, Heather Stansbury, Human Resource Director, Katie Cowan, Communications and Marketing Director, Jessica Waters, Director of Sales, Kim Miller, Police Chief Ray Austin, Internal Auditor, Karen Scott. There was no action taken. Motion to close the meeting was by Councilman Savage, second by Councilwoman Proctor. The meeting ended at 124 p.m. Next thing on the agenda is acknowledgments. Mayor. Well, today we have a retirement regulation. These were also all these employees. Michael, please come up. Somebody from the department that's going to speak to this as well. You don't get all that. I mean believing us. Yes. 31 years, and that's that's quite a time period to be a to do anything today, and we're very proud of the fact that you chose to do it as an employee with the town of Ocean City. And uh we certainly wish you all the best in the future and thank you for everything that you've done for us. I'm gonna let the department speak to it first before I Mike and I go back a long time. He started as a wastewater operator back in November of 1994. I can remember doing some training with Mike when he came on board. Then he left us and became a water water plant operator. Then he became a plumbing inspector working with the one and only Nelson Kelly. Then the plumbing inspectors moved down to City Hall. Um lost track of him for a bit. He he ran a barbecue restaurant during this time frame, and he did that well too. Any time I asked the wife if she wanted to go out and grab some dinner, she always said that's where she wanted to go. So finally, the prodigal son returned to wastewater as a collection system supervisor, eventually replacing the legendary John Britt. Whenever Mike was assigned a task, you never had to worry about it being completed or the quality of the finished product. It's been a pleasure working with Mike for 31 years off and on. Congratulations, Mike. All right, thank you. Thank you. Don't go anywhere. Do you want uh somebody to come up here with you while we present this proclamation? The videographer. Okay. And just I think if you look around, you see all the employees that are here to support you today, and I think that that that shows how much they think about you, Michael, how important you are to the town of Ocean City. So I do have a proclamation. Let me run ahead and read this to you. It's a proclamation and appreciation of Michael Von Bank, 31 years of service. Whereas Michael has dedicated 31 years of service to the town of Ocean City, working for the Public Works Wastewater Department, and whereas Michael began his career with the town as a wastewater operator, demonstrating a strong work ethic, technical skill, and commitment to public service.
openpublica.com