COMMUNICATIONS, ELECTRONICS, EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

TOWN OF OCEAN CITY

FISCAL YEAR 2025 PROPOSED BUDGET

Print/Download Data Summary

BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS:

REVENUE CHANGES:

FY 25 revenue reflects continued participation in the Emergency Management Assistance (EMA) funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. A grant equivalent to the partial salary and benefits of the Emergency Management Director has been included. A portion of the Homeland Securities grant funds will be allocated to cover the partial salary and benefits of the Emergency Planner. Other grants received in FY 25 will be added as received. The estimate for small cell tower rental decreases.

PERSONNEL CHANGES:

Thirty-two full-time positions are funded in this division. There are a total of twenty-six full-time positions funded in the Communications division, four in the Emergency Management division, and two in the Radio Maintenance division. Salary increases reflect a step increase and a 3% COLA effective January 1, 2025. Seasonal Communications Operator positions were reduced from seventeen positions to thirteen in FY 23, to six in FY 24, and have been eliminated in FY 25 as the conversion to full-time is complete. There is a savings of $69,491 from FY 24 in this line item. Hours for the part- time Emergency Management Specialist position were funded at 920 hours, the same level as FY 24. Allocations for health insurance and retirement increase, while the allocation for worker’s compensation decreases. The budget reflects a full year of benefits for the Communications operators converted to full-time in FY 24. Public Safety pension costs increase in this division. No funding has been included for retiree health (OPEB).

CHANGES IN OPERATIONS:


Contracted Services include equipment maintenance, training costs, printing and other services. Training costs remain level, and include web-based training classes and Policeone training subscriptions for the Communications operators, and attendance at the International Association of Emergency Manager’s conference. Attendance at the Hurricane Conference for the Director and the Planner has been funded. UAS Pilot training and testing costs for the drone program have been included at $800. Meals and housing during Emergency Operations Center activation have been funded at $18,000. The RAVE Alert subscription renewal has been included at $5,350. Building and equipment maintenance costs decrease, as the monitor upgrade funded at $19,500 for the Radio Maintenance division was completed in FY 24. Routine radio maintenance has been included at $44,000. Radio system maintenance has been funded through the Equipment Trust Fund at a cost of $857,359. Console maintenance in the Dispatch center was included at a cost of $6,000 in the Communications division. A fiber lease for the Ocean Pines location has been added at $6,000. Other maintenance costs include the generator and HVAC contracts for the Electronics shop and the radio towers. Supplies & Materials include operational and uniform costs for the three divisions. Comasset tracking software for the radio system has been included at $4,700 This expense provides a cloud-based solution that does not require IT support and will allow tracking of locations, status and history for all communications equipment owned by the Town. FC Federal controllers/decoders for Fire, Emergency Services and Emergency Management have been included at $31,544. Replacement drone batteries have been included at $2,500. A replacement handheld satellite phone has also been funded. Energy costs increase and are based on the actual expense for the past twelve months. Vehicle fuel and maintenance costs decrease and include $5,000 in repairs to OC1. Intragovernmental expenses increase $24,752. The IT allocation increases, but includes $43,056 for the Comcast connection for boardwalk surveillance. Allocations for radio equipment lease, insurance and the allocation for vehicle lease increase.