OCEAN PINES – Ocean Pines Association officials are expected to adopt a budget of just under $12 million this week.
In a budget presentation Monday, Brett Hill, acting general manager of the association, outlined key points of the financial plan for the fiscal year beginning May 1. The association’s board of directors is expected to consider the budget Saturday.
“This budget reflects a continuation of our efforts to move our community forward and provide our membership quality services and amenities they expect and deserve,” Hill said.
The proposed budget outlines revenues of $11,841,413 and expenditures of $11,712,105 for the coming year. It does not include an assessment increase for Pines property owners. Annual dues for non-waterfront lots will remain $921.
According to Hill, highlights in the budget include renovations at the Ocean Pines Country Club and the Sports Core Pool. Though the first floor of the country club is undergoing improvements now, Hill said the proposed budget would include funding for renovations on the second floor of the facility. The addition of meeting rooms in that space will allow some of the association’s operations to move there from the main administrative building on Ocean Parkway. That will give the police department three times the space it has now in the administration building.
“That will improve the safety of our officers and their ability to serve us in the community,” Hill said.
At the Sports Core Pool, Hill said there were plans for a 24-foot by 80-foot addition. The extra space at the indoor pool will allow for programs to be expanded. Hill said a new water bike program had proven extremely popular but that space was needed to store the bikes. He also described plans for an after-school childcare program. He said the association’s aquatics department had experimented with childcare programs on holidays during the winter and they’d proven successful.
“Those programs were sold out,” he said, adding that in order to offer them regularly more space was needed. “We have to have a space the children can be contained and isolated from other programs.”
According to Hill the increased operating expenditures in the proposed budget are related to payroll. In addition to plans to hire four new public works employees and a new facilities staff member, management expects increased labor costs at certain amenities because of expanded hours. Hill said the Affordable Care Act and the jump in minimum wage would also effect the association. He said minimum wage would be increasing to $9.25 an hour.
“This impacts almost all of our seasonal workforce,” he said.
Hill said expanded hours of operation would increase labor costs at Mumford’s Landing and the Ocean Pines Beach Club. Mumford’s Landing is already open five nights a week and will be open seven nights a week beginning in May. The beach club will be opened on Mother’s Day, weeks earlier than normal, and will stay open until 10 p.m. during the summer.
“These changes will incur additional expenses but also additional revenues,” Hill said.
Officials spent a significant amount of time during the budget development process examining the various Pines amenity rates. Hill said Monday the association’s golf and tennis fees would be decreasing.
“The goal in bringing the memberships to a more reasonable level is to increase resident participation in purchasing the memberships,” he said.
Hill said that in the new budget year the association would also be offering associate memberships that would allow non-residents to purchase an association-wide amenity membership with a one-time fee.
The Ocean Pines Association Board of Directors is set to consider a motion to adopt the proposed budget at Saturday’s regular meeting.
