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

At its public meeting on Thursday at the Ocean City Free Public Library, City Council voted to eliminate the Ocean City Ethics Board. But here are five other things that might be of interest:

• Car Wash Invoices: City Council voted unanimously to approve a $22,414 retroactive contract and payment to Shore Shine Car Wash of Marmora for the cleaning and servicing of city-owned vehicles in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. Shore Shine owner Chuck Baker is an Ocean City resident who made a political contribution to unsuccessful City Council candidate Bart Russell. The contract was necessary because the car wash invoices exceeded the $17,500 threshold for state pay-to-play guidelines. 
• Department Reorganization: City Council passed the first reading of a new ordinance that merges the Public Works Department and Community Services Department into a new Department of Community Operations. (See PDF for more detail.)
• Summer Demolition: City Council passed the first reading of an ordinance that would permit demolition during the summer weeks between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Demolition work (normally prohibited in the summer) would be limited to properties damaged by Superstorm Sandy, limited to 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays (except July 4) and limited to 2013 only.
• Yellow-Pine Boardwalk: City Council voted to advertise for bids to replace the entire boardwalk (substructure and deck) between Fifth and Sixth streets as part of a multi-year project to continue the same work to 12th Street. The specifications call for using previously purchased southern yellow pine for the boardwalk decking. The city has been testing different materials that could be more durable than the traditional yellow pine.
• Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance: The city unanimously approved the second reading of an updated flood prevention ordinance. The changes include adoption of the Advisory Base Flood Elevation (ABFE) maps recently adopted by FEMA. The ordinance helps Ocean City qualify for flood insurance discounts. Meanwhile, the city has hired a contractor to work with FEMA to revise the ABFE flood maps. Read more.