Bonfire Permit Fee To Remain Same In Ocean City After Motion Fizzles Out

OCEAN CITY – In a bit of an about-face, resort officials this week did not vote to increase the fee for a beach bonfire after approving the proposed change at budget wrap-up earlier this month.

During budget deliberations, the Mayor and Council considered increasing the permit fee for a beach bonfire from the existing $75 to $85. The number of nightly beach bonfires has soared in recent years, largely because of COVID restrictions on gatherings and indoor activities. As a result, the cost of monitoring the program and cleaning the beach has gone up in kind.

During a budget wrap-up session earlier this month, a divided council voted 4-3 to hike the beach bonfire fee from $75 to $85, a measure that would have to be completed by resolution. On Monday, that resolution was presented, and Councilman John Gehrig made a motion to approve it.

However, Gehrig’s motion to approve the resolution died for lack of a second among the five sitting councilmembers with Councilmen Lloyd Martin and Mark Paddack not present. Absent a second, Gehrig’s motion died and, as a result, the bonfire permit fee will remain at the existing $75.

In addition, the motion as presented would have eliminated language in the beach bonfire permit ordinance that called for a non-refundable deposit from beach bonfire permit holders if they did not clean up appropriately after their fire. However, during budget deliberations, Ocean City Fire Marshal Josh Bunting pointed out the deposit was a moot issue because his department did not have a mechanism to collect it after going to the online permit booking system a few years back. Again, the motion to approve the resolution as presented died for a lack of second, so that language about the security deposit will presumably remain in the existing ordinance.

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