Five Things to Know About Thursday's Council Agenda

City Council has a full agenda for its public meeting 7 p.m. Thursday (Dec. 12) at the Ocean City Free Public Library, but here are five things that might be of special interest.

• SPECIAL IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT BUDGET: City Council will vote on a $343,588 budget for the for the Special Improvement District (the retail section of the Ocean City Boardwalk, the downtown section of Asbury Avenue and the gateway section of Ninth Street). In 2013, Council approved an approximately $260,000 budget that did not include funding for a full-time executive director of Main Street Ocean City. The meeting will include a report on a restructured merchants group.
• 15TH STREET PLAYGROUND: City Council will vote to advertise for bids on replacing the playground equipment and play surface at the 15th Street playground. The request also calls for replacing the basketball courts and adding a portable bathroom building.
• NINTH STREET BIKE CROSSING: City Council will vote to advertise for bids on a user-activated crossing signal that will allow bicyclists to cross Ninth Street at Aldrich Road — along the route of the safe-cycling corridor under development from end-to-end of the island. The signal would be coordinated with the full traffic signal at the nearby intersection of West Avenue.
• PUMP STATION TO DRAIN NORTH-END STREETS: City Council will vote to use the services of a firm that has done work in Mantoloking and Seaside Heights to design a pump station that would help drain flooded streets on the north end of Ocean City.
• LAWSUITS AGAINST THE CITY: City Council will vote to go into closed executive session to discuss the following lawsuits: Petrozzi, et als. v. Ocean City; Myers v. Ocean City Zoning Board of Adjustment and City of Ocean City; McCracken v. Ocean City, et als (related to Ocean City Beach Patrol).; Petnick v. Ocean City, et als.; Fox Chase Bank v. Ocean City v. Terra Technical, LLC, and Anticipated Litigation regarding Eminent Domain actions to acquire beach lots.