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Record of Proceedings

Ocean City Mayor and City Council Regular Meeting – October 19, 2026

Mayor and City Council & Boards — Monday, October 19, 2026
BodyOcean City, Maryland
SessionMayor and City Council & Boards
DateMonday, October 19, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 17:19

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Unassigned speaker

0:14

All

Speaker 1

0:14

right, thank you.

0:14

Good evening, everyone.

0:15

Welcome to this regular meeting of the mayor and city council.

Unassigned speaker

0:18

Today is Monday, October 19th, 2026, and it is 6 p.m.

Speaker 1

0:22

First on the agenda this evening.

0:24

We have the prayer and the pledge, and council member Metressic will lead us in

Unassigned speaker

0:28

both.

Speaker 2

0:32

Lord, we come to you again today, thankful for the opportunity to serve our incredible community and the amazing people that call at home.

0:40

We ask that you would guide our words and our actions.

0:43

Let them reflect your truth.

0:47

And just remind us that when we do things that honor your people, we honor you.

0:52

Amen.

Speaker 3

0:52

Amen.

Unassigned speaker

0:54

I

Speaker 2

0:54

pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

1:01

One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for

Unassigned speaker

1:06

all 22.

Unassigned speaker

1:12

I don't think I've got any.

Speaker 1

1:14

Next on the agenda, we have the consent agenda items A through D.

1:18

Item A is a request to approve the minutes from work session dated October 13th, 2026.

1:23

Item B is an acknowledgement of our standing committee reports.

1:26

We had a police commission meeting on October 14th and a transportation committee meeting on October 13th.

1:34

Item C is a private event approval request for the winter fest of lights 5K scheduled for December 6, 2026.

1:41

And finally, item D is a request to approve the purchase of Northside Park 2 to 5-year-old playground equipment through the cooperative purchasing network.

1:52

Any discussion on the consent agenda?

1:56

Seeing none.

1:57

Secretary Savage.

1:59

Make a motion to approve the consent agenda items A through D.

2:02

Thank you.

2:03

I'll

Speaker 4

2:03

second it.

Speaker 1

2:04

Councilmember Heiser.

2:06

Jeff Beecha to it.

2:07

Sorry.

Speaker 4

2:08

That's okay.

Speaker 1

2:08

Got a motion from Secretary Savage, seconded by Councilmember Heiser to approve the consent agenda.

2:13

Items A through D.

2:15

All those in favor?

2:16

Aye.

2:17

All right.

2:17

Motion carries with seven in favor.

2:20

Next we have items referred to in presentations from the city solicitor.

Speaker 5

2:24

Good evening.

Speaker 1

2:25

Evening.

Speaker 5

2:25

First, we have for second reading ordinance 2026-21 to amend chapter 34 entitled Fire Prevention and Protection.

2:32

This alters the composition of the fire prevention commission.

2:35

This was presented to you on September 29th at the work session.

Speaker 1

2:40

Thank you.

2:41

Councilmember Proctor.

Speaker 4

2:42

I'd like to make a motion to adopt ordinance 2026-21.

Speaker 6

2:47

Second.

Speaker 1

2:58

Any comments from the public on this topic?

3:00

Seeing none, any council comments on this topic.

3:03

All those in favor?

3:04

Aye.

3:05

Motion carries with seven in favor.

Speaker 5

3:07

Next we have for second reading ordinance 2026-22.

3:11

This is to amend chapter 110 entitled Zoning.

3:14

This amends certain regulations for signs that project over or into the public right-of-way, sidewalk, alley, street, thoroughfare, boardwalk, or other public way in the downtown and upper downtown design overlay districts.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural██████████████████████████████████34%
Public Engagement█████████████████████21%
Sign Regulations██████████████14%
Housing Occupancy███████████11%
Tourism Development███████7%
Short Term Rentals███████7%
Fire Safety██████6%
Summary of Proceedings

Ocean City Mayor and City Council Regular Meeting – October 19, 2026

The Ocean City Mayor and City Council held a regular meeting on Monday, October 19, 2026, at 6:00 PM. The meeting included approval of the consent agenda, adoption of four ordinances on second reading, public comments on accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and rental inspection processes, and updates from council and staff. All votes were unanimous (7-0).

Consent Calendar

  • Approved minutes from the October 13, 2026 work session.
  • Acknowledged standing committee reports: Police Commission (October 14) and Transportation Committee (October 13).
  • Approved a private event request for the Winterfest of Lights 5K on December 6, 2026.
  • Approved the purchase of Northside Park 2-to-5-year-old playground equipment through a cooperative purchasing network. (All consent items approved unanimously with 7 votes in favor.)

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Billy Apostolou (2804 Galway, Ocean City) expressed concern about the status of Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) regulations, noting the state-mandated October 1 deadline had passed. He worried about potential lawsuits if property owners build ADUs before local compliance is adopted. Mayor (with City Manager George) responded that the process is moving forward: the matter has gone to the planning commission, a public hearing was held, and a transcript is awaited. He estimated first reading before the council in two to three weeks. He noted the city is in communication with the state and that a stopgap measure is in place.
  • Scott Chismar (2 Ton Worcester Street) raised two issues:
    1. Event branding/image: He objected to the use of a Marlboro cigarette pack design on official concert shirts, calling it a bad look for Ocean City and urging better vetting for future events. He also welcomed the return of Boardwalk concerts despite weather issues.
    2. Rental inspection process: He expressed support for the new rental inspection program but criticized its implementation. He cited scheduling inefficiencies (discrimination concerns over building-by-building scheduling), unnecessary measuring of identical floor plans, and poor routing of inspectors causing delays. He urged the city to re-examine the process for efficiency.

Legislative Items (Ordinance Second Readings)

All ordinances were presented by the City Solicitor, reviewed at the September 29 work session, and adopted on second reading with no public or council comment.

  • Ordinance 2026-21 (Chapter 34, Fire Prevention and Protection): Alters the composition of the Fire Prevention Commission. Adopted 7-0.
  • Ordinance 2026-22 (Chapter 110, Zoning): Amends regulations for signs projecting over public rights-of-way in Downtown and Upper Downtown Design Overlay Districts. Adopted 7-0.
  • Ordinance 2026-23 (Chapter 66, Signs): Amends regulations for signs, awnings, and banners projecting over public ways or the boardwalk. Adopted 7-0.
  • Ordinance 2026-24 (Chapter 14, Businesses): Adds failure to comply with insurance provisions as grounds for the City Manager to suspend a business license. Adopted 7-0.

City Manager Comments

  • Deputy City Manager presented the draft agenda for the October 27 work session, including a closed session for legal matters, recognition for Police Sergeant James Rodriguez, bid award for Northside Park Living Shoreline, independent auditor opinion on FY2026 financial statements, annual comprehensive financial report, State Highway Administrator biannual update, and a Dum Arvid Power update.

Mayor and Council Comments

  • Councilmember Metressic announced the birth of his daughter, Tatum Riley, and praised the strength of women. He encouraged attendance at the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk at the Inlet on Saturday at 7:30 AM.
  • Mayor congratulated Councilmember Metressic and reminded the public about the Sunfest event starting Thursday, October 22, with a ribbon cutting at 10 AM and evening concerts at the Convention Center.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Agenda approved (7-0).
  • All four ordinances (2026-21, 22, 23, 24) adopted unanimously (7-0 each).
  • ADU ordinance first reading anticipated in 2-3 weeks.
  • Meeting adjourned at 6:17 PM.

Meeting Transcript

All right, thank you. Good evening, everyone. Welcome to this regular meeting of the mayor and city council. Today is Monday, October 19th, 2026, and it is 6 p.m. First on the agenda this evening. We have the prayer and the pledge, and council member Metressic will lead us in both. Lord, we come to you again today, thankful for the opportunity to serve our incredible community and the amazing people that call at home. We ask that you would guide our words and our actions. Let them reflect your truth. And just remind us that when we do things that honor your people, we honor you. Amen. Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all 22. I don't think I've got any. Next on the agenda, we have the consent agenda items A through D. Item A is a request to approve the minutes from work session dated October 13th, 2026. Item B is an acknowledgement of our standing committee reports. We had a police commission meeting on October 14th and a transportation committee meeting on October 13th. Item C is a private event approval request for the winter fest of lights 5K scheduled for December 6, 2026. And finally, item D is a request to approve the purchase of Northside Park 2 to 5-year-old playground equipment through the cooperative purchasing network. Any discussion on the consent agenda? Seeing none. Secretary Savage. Make a motion to approve the consent agenda items A through D. Thank you. I'll second it. Councilmember Heiser. Jeff Beecha to it. Sorry. That's okay. Got a motion from Secretary Savage, seconded by Councilmember Heiser to approve the consent agenda. Items A through D. All those in favor? Aye. All right. Motion carries with seven in favor. Next we have items referred to in presentations from the city solicitor. Good evening. Evening. First, we have for second reading ordinance 2026-21 to amend chapter 34 entitled Fire Prevention and Protection. This alters the composition of the fire prevention commission. This was presented to you on September 29th at the work session. Thank you. Councilmember Proctor.

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