OCEAN PINES, Md. - After months of frustration from neighbors in the Ocean Pines neighborhood, financial relief is coming to those in the development after the county lowers water and sewer charges.
Recently, county commissioners unanimously approved cutting the quarterly debt service charge from $36 to $18, effective July 1. The savings apply per equivalent dwelling unit and increase based on the number of units owned.
County leaders share that the proposed 5% increase to the bill is still on the table despite these cuts, and will be a topic of discussion in the public hearing on May 5th.
Worcester County Enterprise Fund Controller Quinn Dittrich says he hopes this provides relief to those in the neighborhood, but places emphasis on operational costs being different from these debt service charges.
This change was made possible after the county used unspent project savings and eligible interest earnings to retire 2014 and 2015 bonds, according to Worcester County Commissioner Chip Bertino.
John Buscemi lives in Ocean Pines and says he questions the way these payments are processed and wants to see clearer communication between the county and neighbors. Buscemi, a drop like this would benefit everyone in the Ocean Pines community.
"It's different for each household, it seems like," says Buscemi. "Yeah, I think I would. Any time you have savings, you know it adds more resources to your bank account. So yeah, I certainly would like a drop."
Donna and Mark Jacobs, who also live in Ocean Pines, say they've gotten lucky with not seeing drastic changes to their bills.
"We're not seeing the water bill take a hit as much as some of the other residents, because their infrastructure might be a little bit older than ours," Jacobs says. "Because we renovated the house, gutted the house. You know, Mark put a number of efficiencies in."
One of those is a tankless water heater, an installation they say has definitely saved them some money.
Dittrich tells CoastTV that these changes are still proposed, and says that on June 2, these proposals will have a chance to be approved when the final 2027 budget is assessed.
On May 5 at 6 p.m., Worcester County will hold a public hearing to allow community members to voice their concerns or pleasure for the state of water and sewer service fees.
