The Ocean City Mayor and City Council held a work session on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, at 1:00 PM. The meeting included a closed session report, approval of prior minutes, a bid award for the Eagles Landing Golf Course plant mitigation, an update on the beach code enforcement pilot program, and a discussion of state-mandated accessory dwelling unit legislation (HB 1466). All votes were unanimous with seven in favor.
Meeting adjourned at 1:51 PM.
Yeah, that cared up two months is the first time. All right, good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to this work session of the mayor and city council. Today is Tuesday, July 14th, 2026, a little after 1 p.m. First, on the agenda, I have our notice and report on our closed session. Prior to the mayor and city council open session being held at 1 p.m. July 14th, 2026. A closed session was held today, beginning at 12 noon here at City Hall. Topics of discussion were legal and public security matters. Persons present were Mayor Rick Meehan, City Manager Terry McGean, Deputy City Manager J.R. Harmon, Council President Matt James, Council Secretary Will Savage, Council Members John Garrick, Jake Metresick, Carol Proctor, Peter Bus, and Jeff Heiser, City Clerk Diana Chavis, City Solicitor Heather Stansbury, Police Chief Ray Austin, and our police captain Dennis Eid. Had a motion from Councilmember Proctor, seconded by Councilmember Heiser to close the closed session. That passed with seven in favor at 124 p.m. Next, we have comments from the public. Any person who may wish to speak on a matter scheduled for discussion on the work session agenda may be heard during comments from the public for a period of three minutes or such time as may be deemed appropriate by the council president. Anyone wishing to be heard shall state their name, their address, and the agenda item on which he or she wishes to speak. Would anyone like to speak today? Seeing done, we'll move on to new business. Item A, we have a request to approve minutes from regular session number 11, dated July 6, 2026. So moved. Councilmember Garrick with the motion. Second from Councilmember Proctor. Any discussion? All those in favor? Aye. All right. Motion carries with seven in favor. Next we have item B, a bid award recommendation for Eagles Landing Plant Mitigation. Good afternoon, Mayor and City Council. Good. I'd like to take an opportunity to briefly summarize the historical background of the Eagles Landing Golf Course project that was requested by the Mayor and City Council during the June 30th bid opening prior to presenting our reward. An initial valuation of $2 million was approved for the entirety of this scope of this project, which was distributed from a $1.75 million dollar bond allocation. And if required, $250,000 additional dollars in golf course fund reserves, which would have addressed title flood remediation, plant mitigation, and bridge construction work. Excuse me, subsequent to value engineering efforts for the title flood remediation project work. The procurement department was able to decrease the initial bid submission from McDonald and Sons from a valuation of $3,256,000 seventeen dollars and eleven cents to one million four hundred and ninety-two thousand four hundred and one dollars and ninety-nine cents. This would have allowed the procurement department and recreation department five hundred and seven thousand five hundred and ninety-eight thousand dollars in remaining bond allocation funds to complete the planting mitigation and bridge construction scopes. In your agenda packet, you'll find two tables referencing these figures with the apparent low bid valuation of 114,241 dollars from ecological restoration and management incorporated for plant mitigation work and a value a valuation of $18,506 for bridge construction labor materials. The total project cost is estimated at $1,625,148. This is $124,851 below the approved bond allocation figure and does not necessarily utilization of golf course fund reserves. As such, the procurement department's formal recommendation to the mayor and city council would be to fully award the bid to ecological restoration and management incorporated in their specified amount of 114,241 dollars. We would additionally request that the mayor and city council consider expenditure approval for up to 257,598 dollars, which would represent the remaining bond fund allocation detailed in table B to fully complete the project work inclusive of mitigation plannings, bridge construction, and contingency funding for unknowns that might be identified during project completion. Please let me know if you have any questions, and thank you very much for your consideration of this bid award recommendation. Councilmember Garrick. Thank you for the update and great work. It's great news. Getting it in under budget too, being created. So thank you. Um I don't know if there are any other questions, but I'll certainly make a motion to award bid items A1 through uh and A2 to ecological restoration and management in the amount of 114,241 dollars with the expenditure approval up to 257,598 dollars and one cent. Second it council member Proctor. I've got a motion from Councilmember Garrick, second by Councilmember Proctor.