Session next Wednesday will offer that opportunity

By Greg Ellison

Staff Writer

(Jan. 30, 2020) Ocean Pines Association members will have two opportunities to learn more about the budget proposed for the next fiscal year, with the first taking  place next Wednesday at a board meeting scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. in the Assateague Room of the Ocean Pines community center on 235 Ocean Parkway.

OPA President Doug Parks encouraged association members to attend the public hearing, which is expected to explain how the current proposal resulted in a recommended assessment, $986 per non-waterfront lot, that would be the same at that levied this year.

With a total of 6,716 non-water fronting lots paying that rate, the association would see $6.6 million in revenue. Adding assessment revenue from waterfront lots and commercial properties would boost that total to $9.1 million. Waterfront lots would see an assessment of $1,501 next year under the current proposal.

Looking at the overall financial picture, total revenue for the current fiscal year is forecast to wind up at $18,454,329 and budgeted at $14,626,666 in the pending budget. This represents a negative variance of roughly $3.8 million, that is comprised of $3.6 million from capital reserves and about $252,000 from operating funds to finance ongoing capital projects.

Factoring out major project expenditures, the overall departmental revenue subtotal doesn’t change much, going from a forecast total of $12.86 million in the current fiscal year to a proposed figure of $12.9 million for FY 20/21.

Similarly, overall departmental expenditures are forecast to close out the current fiscal year at $12.4 million and budgeted at $12.9 million for next year.

Of the Feb. 5 session, Parks said, “The most important aspect is that’s where members can ask question and get any specific issues they want to get out on the table.”

Following that hearing, OPA Treasurer Larry Perrone and General Manager John Viola will present final recommendations to the board on Feb. 11

Between Feb. 7-14 board members can propose motions to amend the budget with a final public hearing set for Feb. 18.

Parks said both public hearings are crucial to get community opinions on financial decisions.

“The most important in my mind is this is a way to be able to interact with the membership and have a very open discussion on any questions they may have about the budget,” he said.

“We can either … answer their questions for them or … if we have to do some more research we can … get back to them,” he said. “We don’t anticipate any other changes,” he said, “but never say never.”

The proposed budget is available online at www.oceanpines.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/20200124153101435.pdf