By Greg Wehner, Staff Writer

(June 16, 2022) Ocean City last week was given the county government’s permission to sell 12 equivalent dwelling units (EDUs) of sewer and water capacity that came with a property the resort purchased near the airport, even though the approval goes against county government protocol.

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Worcester County Commissioners agreed to buy back 12 equivalent dwelling units, or EDUs, from Ocean City because the municipality does not plan to build on a property it purchased near the airport on Route 611. The motion went against the grain of the county’s stance of not buying back EDUs.

Worcester County Chief Administrative Officer Weston Young told the commissioners the 12 EDUs came with a property near the municipal airport in West Ocean City that Ocean City purchased back in December.

The city purchased the property from the Lower Shore Land Trust for $850,000. At the time, Public Works Director Hal Adkins told the council the purchase was eligible for federal grants if they follow Federal Aviation Administration guidelines to obtain the money.

Ocean City does not plan to use the 12 water and sewer EDUs that are part of the Mystic Harbour Sanitary Service Area and hoped to be able to convert them into income.

According to Young, the city does not plan to build on the properties, and because of the location, the EDUs would be in high demand.

The cost per EDU was estimated to be approximately $11,000 on June 7.

Commissioner Chip Bertino asked if selling the EDUs back would set a precedent, especially since the county has been against the measure.

He added that it could be possible the government-to-government transaction could be enough to differentiate this from other requests.

Commissioner Jim Bunting also questioned the policy and whether this was the right move.

When it came to a vote, the commissioners approved the request 5-2, with Bertino and Bunting opposed.