After a diligent 90 days, the Maryland General Assembly concluded its 2024 legislative session at midnight on April 8 with funding for a proposed local sports complex and an increase in the county’s room tax percentage.
The proposed Ocean City sports complex, which is sponsored by Del. Wayne Hartman (R-38C) and Sen. Mary Beth Carozza (R-38), was analyzed by the Maryland Stadium Authority in November 2022. The group completed a market and economic study to determine the feasibility of the facility.
The sports complex would include 10 tournament-quality outdoor fields and 10 basketball courts. The evaluation revealed that the building would “generate a positive return to the State and local economies,” the General Assembly project report reads. “Specifically, the complex would support over 900 new local jobs and $8.5 to $10 million in state and local tax revenue.”
According to Hartman, the project secured $500,000 from capital budget funding for site assessment, planning and design. The delegate maintained that the imitative is a request from Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan and will be pursued between the Mayor and Council and the Maryland Stadium Authority. A local task force has been meeting to evaluate the sports complex possibility.
speaking of sports complexes, a study should be done to find out why wicomico county just spent tens of thousands of dollars on a new sprayer that is absolutely not needed. the sprayer cost more than the building used to store it. if a sprayer is needed to be used on outfields, a sprayer costing 1/20 of that would have worked just as good. recreation and parks in wicomico county wastes more money and gets less done than any other dept. in this county. every taxpayer should get a glimpse of their new piece of equipment. who in God’s name approved this purchase. also, wicomico rec and parks doesn’t have anyone smart enough to operate it.
Do not know what it cost but the current one is several decades old and needs to be updated. Everything has doubled in cost and nothing is going to get any cheaper.
Glad to see parks get something new. They have been at the bottom of tax dollar chain for years. I am sure there are people there that can operate equipment.
I am currently listing my home in Selbyville. One of the first visitors commented that they were currently looking to consolidate their Pennsylvania and OC properties. They did not appear to be looking at another OC property so I guess they have no interest in some of the expensive tax ideas that Town is leaning towards.
Democrats = more taxes…going into the politicians pockets!
I understand OC plans on tearing down all the rides , Ferris Wheel , and other to build a George Floyd Memorial.
They plan on using the rest of the lot for government housing per JAKE DAY.
By doing this , OC will rake in millions of Federal money