Five Things to Know From City Council's Meeting on Thursday

City Council has a full agenda for its public meeting 6:30 p.m. Thursday (March 14) at the Ocean City Free Public Library. But here are five things that might be of special interest.

While the meeting starts at 6:30 p.m., City Council is expected to go into a private executive session with the public portion of the meeting expected to resume at the usual 7 p.m. (See attached PDF for supporting documentation on all agenda items.)

• Executive Session: City Council will discuss ongoing legal proceedings related to the beachfront Schilling estate lots between 19th and 20th streets. Representatives of the estate are seeking permission to build a luxury home on the land, while the city is interested in preserving the undeveloped land. (Read more.) Council also will discuss labor contracts with the International Association of EMT’s and Paramedics (IAEP) Local R3/347 and the Communication Workers of America AFL-CIO Local No. 1032.
• South End Beaches: Property owners from the south end of Ocean City are expected again to rally during public comment to implore City Council to do more than just truck sand in to restore eroded beaches.
• Credit Card Parking Meters: After a successful experiment in 2012, City Council will consider dramatically expanding the use of parking meters that accept credit cards. Council will consider the first reading of an ordinance that raises meter fees from 25 cents per 15 minutes to 25 cents per 10 minutes ($1.50 per hour) where credit card meters are installed. The new meters would be available throughout most of the streets close to the Ocean City Boardwalk, on the north-end beachfront along Beach Road and E. Atlantic Boulevard and on the far south end along Central Avenue and 59th Street.
• Elevation Guidelines: City Council will consider the second and potentially final reading of an ordinance designed to "quickly address zoning issues in a new world of ABFE maps." The ordinance would relieve property owners of minor zoning obstacles as they consider elevating homes.
• Dan's Dock Property: Contingent on a recommendation from the Planning Board at its Wednesday meeting (March 13), City Council will consider a resolution to declare a vacant marina and restaurant property on the bay at 10th Street (the former Dan's Dockside Marina) as an "area in need of rehabilitation." The designation opens the door for a plan to redevelop the property. The Gill family, contract purchaser of the property, said it .