May 10, 2013 The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch Page 37 way said Ocean City was ripe for targeting coastal areas to the north devastated by Super Storm Sandy last fall. “Ocean City has to remember what happened,” he said. “You don’t want to benefit from somebody else’s misfortune, but we should encourage those folks to come to Ocean City. We do need to spend more for tourism. There’s no doubt about that.” Ocean City Councilwoman Mary Knight said the resort’s marketing campaign somewhat reluctantly did just that and is already seeing the positive effects. “We dedicated $1 million more toward advertising and we’re making a real push this year,” she said. “It started earlier when we targeted New York and New Jersey and even Pittsburgh and we’ve seen more hits on our website from those areas.” . . Church: County Will Cut,Rather ThanRaise Taxes FROM PAGE 36 “This economy wants to fly and Ocean City wants to soar,” he said. “All we need to do is get the government to get out of the way. Ronald Reagan said the worst words to hear for business are ‘I’m here from the government and I’m here to help you.’” Worcester County Commission President Bud Church also addressed the EDC on Wednesday and painted a rather glum picture of the county’s pending budget. “Worcester County is in the middle of its budget session at a time of year I refer to as the beg-athon,” he said. “The truth is, we have $173 million in requests and $166 million in revenue, which leaves us about $7.4 million short.” Church explained the county’s assessable tax base had declined from around $20.2 billion in 2009 to $15.1 billion in 2014, representing a drop of about $5 billion. Nonetheless, the county has been able to maintain services while holding the line on taxes. “The tax rate is the second lowest in the state, so Worcester County is doing some things right,” he said. “It’s a little disheartening that the county has had to absorb some of the fiscal responsibilities of the state.” Church specifically referenced the $1 million that county now has to pay to support the state’s assessment office in Worcester, and another $1 million in teacher pensions that used to be the state’s responsibility. “Our revenue dropped by $5 billion but the state continues to pass along $1 million here and $1 million there,” he said. “It makes it hard to pass a budget, but I promise you we are not going to raise taxes this year. We’re going to cut and cut and cut some more, just like we’ve always done. We’ve had one tax increase in 11 years.” Church has seen firsthand the impact of the state’s perceived tax burden on residents and businesses. “There have been two occasions in the last week where people have walked into my office and said they want to sell their house and move to Delaware because the tax burden in Maryland is out of hand,” he said. During the EDC meeting on Wednesday, the gas tax increase approved by the General Assembly was discussed extensively. The old adage goes when the price of gas goes up, Ocean City thrives because of its close proximity to the major metropolitan areas just a tank away. However, the gas tax increase is viewed as a deterrent to the local economy this time around. “We were paying 24 cents in gas tax when gas was a dollar a gallon,” said McDermott. “At least now, the price has gone up to the point the percentage is lower. If we had enacted this gas tax in 1992, gas would be $10 a gallon now.” Clarion Resort Hotel owner and former EDC chairman Dr. Lenny Berger said the gas tax would undoubtedly hurt the local economy. “When the gas tax goes up, it affects everybody in this room,” he said. “When people pay more for gas, they have less disposal income to spend in your business. If businesses make more money, they raise more tax revenue, but they never seem to understand that.” Also discussed on Wednesday was the importance, now more than ever, of investing in tourism advertising and marketing. Con- IF YOU’VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT A NEW CAR HERE’S SOME “FOOD FOR THOUGHT”: Stk. #2429 Stk. #2287 NEW 2013 CHRYSLER 200 TOURING 4 DR Includes 2.4L 4cyl Engine, 31 Est. MPG Hwy., Premium Heated Front Cloth Bucket Seats, Remote Start, Alum Wheels, Pwr. 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