CAPE COD REGIONAL GOVERNMENT

(Known as Barnstable County)

ASSEMBLY OF DELEGATES

Welcome to the Assembly of Delegates Home Page!

WHAT IS THE ASSEMBLY OF DELEGATES?

The Assembly of Delegates is the legislative branch of Cape Cod Regional Government, known as Barnstable County. The Assembly of Delegates is located in First District Courthouse, Route 6A, Barnstable, MA.  The office telephone is (508) 375-6761 or 375-6762, the fax number is (508) 362-6530, and the email address is aofd@barnstablecounty.org. There are fifteen towns located within Barnstable County, and each town is duly represented on the Assembly of Delegates.

In 1989, by an Act of the Massachusetts General Court and confirmed by a majority of Barnstable County voters, the Barnstable County Home Rule Charter went into effect and the first session of the Assembly of Delegates convened. The Barnstable County Home Rule Charter authorizes a County tax to fund regional services, and each town pays a certain percentage based on its assessed valuation. This tax is in addition to the Deeds Excise Tax, received by all counties in the Commonwealth, and an assessment authorized in 1990 by an Act of the Massachusetts General Court and confirmed by a majority of Barnstable County voters for the Cape Cod Commission Environmental Protection Fund.  All legislative powers of the County are vested in the Assembly of Delegates and, except as provided in the Barnstable County Home Rule Charter, the acts of the Assembly of Delegates are required to be by Ordinance. Periodically the Assembly of Delegates adopts Resolutions regarding issues of regional importance to Barnstable County.    

ASSEMBLY MEMBERSHIP

The Assembly of Delegates consists of fifteen Delegates representing each of the towns located in Barnstable County. A Delegate's vote is weighted based on the 2000 U.S. Decennial Census. The town of Barnstable, for example, has the largest vote of 21.52% and Truro the smallest vote of 0.94%.

Delegates are elected by the voters in each of their municipalities for a two year term.  Delegates were elected for the eleventh session of the Assembly of Delegates on November 11, 2008, and were sworn in on January 7, 2009.

At the beginning of each legislative session of the Assembly, a Speaker and Deputy Speaker are elected from its membership. The Assembly of Delegates employs a Clerk to provide legislative assistance to the Assembly.  Ronald Bergstrom, the Delegate from Chatham, was elected Speaker for the eleventh session of the Assembly of Delegates.  Thomas Keyes, the Delegate from Sandwich, was elected Deputy Speaker. 

In 2003, Delegate George Bryant, who has served as a Delegate from Provincetown since 1989, was awarded the honorary title of Dean of the Assembly of Delegates.  At the beginning of each session of the Assembly of Delegates, Delegate Bryant serves as Speaker Pro Tem prior to the election of a new Speaker.

The Assembly of Delegates holds regular meetings on the first and third Wednesday of each month at 4:00 p.m.   A Journal of Proceedings and/or summary of the regular meetings are available to the public. The Assembly of Delegates has Standing Committees  to deal with important issues facing the County. Committee meetings are where the Assembly's work takes place prior to regular meetings. 

All meetings of the Assembly of Delegates are held in the Assembly of Delegates Chamber or Small Conference Room in the First District Courthouse, Route 6A, Barnstable, MA, unless otherwise noted.  The Assembly Chamber and the Small Conference Room are available for use by others by contacting the office of the Assembly of Delegates by telephone or by email.  The office will confirm the requested reservation or reply that the meeting space is not available in the same manner as the request is received.  

ASSEMBLY WORK DURING 2008

During 2008 the Assembly of Delegates reviewed and adopted the Board of County Commissioner's budget for fiscal year 2009. Prior to the end of fiscal year 2008, it was projected that the County would end its fiscal year balanced or that there would be a small deficit. This was a result of the decrease in activity at the Registry of Deeds. The fiscal year 2009 budget that was adopted was based on the continued projection that revenues at the Registry of Deeds would be at a similar decreased level because of slow economic conditions in the real estate industry. The fiscal year 2009 budget reflects reductions in the budgets of County departments and also reflects decreases or the elimination of funding for grant programs based on the projection that the real estate market would remain flat.

The County continued its funding of the Estuaries Program, which is in its sixth year. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Policy is working with towns to establish TMDLs (total maximum daily loads) for estuaries and the mandate comes under the Federal Clean Water Act. The State has committed six million dollars to the program and the County funded and additional $100,000, which is a matching grant from the State.

An Adjudicatory Hearing Procedure was established in accordance with the Cape Cod Commission Act for energy related Developments of Regional Impact (DRIs). The Energy Facility Siting Board (EFSB) has jurisdiction over energy related appeals and it was determined that the Cape Cod Commission’s record of proceedings must have an expansive record for energy-related DRIs.

Funding was authorized for the continued purpose of providing loans to residents of the County for repairing, replacing and/or upgrading residential septic systems. This was the second loan authorization granted for the septic loan program. The first was in the amount of ten million dollars in 2005. The current request was for ten million dollars. The septic loan program allows Barnstable County residents to apply for loans to repair, replace or upgrade their failed septic systems to Title 5 standards. In order to do this special legislation was passed that gave the County permission to loan these funds directly to residents through a Betterment Program and to issue bonds through the Water Pollution Abatement Trust. The County has been making loans of about 2.5 to 3 million dollars per year. The County administers the program through the Department of the Health & Environment. The County does not pay any interest; residents are charged 2.5% interest. The Assembly of Delegates noted that this is a valuable program and one that was too burdensome for towns to administer.

A DCPC (District of Critical Planning Concern) was created in Craigville Beach/Centerville Village in Barnstable. A DCPC was also created in the town of Brewster.

A ground lease between the County and the joint venture between Cataumet School House Preservation Group, Inc., Bourne Historical Society, Inc., and the Bourne Society for Historic Preservation, Inc., for the premises at 892 County Road in Pocasset (Bourne), Massachusetts, was executed.

At the end of 2007 the Assembly of Delegates heard from the Human Rights Commission (HRC) that certain changes to the Human Rights Commission composition and governmental structure should be made. During 2008 the Assembly of Delegates met with members of the HRC and the County Commissioners and voted to adopt an ordinance that amended and clarified the composition of the Human Rights Commission.

During the Cape Cod Commission’s review and revision of the Regional Policy Plan in 2008 it was determined that the Cape Cod Commission needed more time to complete the major revisions in the document, and the Assembly of Delegates granted two extensions of time. Many of the revisions took into consideration suggestions from the 21^st Century Task Force.

The Assembly of Delegates received the revised Regional Policy Plan in the form of a proposed ordinance at its Regular meeting on November 5^th. Because the Assembly of Delegates has only 45 days within which to conduct public hearings and render a decision on the Regional Policy Plan, prior to receipt of the proposed ordinance, the standing committees met with staff at the Cape Cod Commission and reviewed changes that were being proposed at that time. Public hearings were conducted and testimony from the town representatives and the public was duly taken into consideration. On December 17, 2008, the Assembly of Delegates voted to adopt the proposed ordinance that revised the Regional Policy Plan. It also adopted a Resolution that outlined the Assembly’s understanding that certain actions would be taken by the Cape Cod Commission once the RPP revisions were adopted, i.e., on an annual basis the Cape Cod Commission would review at least one section of the Regional Policy Plan, and after the adoption of the Regional Policy Plan, Technical Bulletins would be prepared and filed with the Assembly of Delegates.

During 2008 an Ad Hoc Committee was created to review the County Dredge and legislative constraints within which the Dredge can operate. At approximately the same time, towns in Barnstable were organized by Selectman Carey Murphy, Falmouth, to address the problems towns are having regarding the limited window when a dredge can take place. Therefore, the work of each group joined together and the work is ongoing to address this problem.

Delegates serve on various Standing Committees. Each Standing Committee reviews certain components of the proposed County budget. Committees examine department budgets, review new programs, and also look at the goals and effectiveness of each program being operated within Barnstable County.

In 2008 there were six Standing Committees and one Ad Hoc Committee. The Standing Committees were involved with many regional issues. Below is a list of the committees and a brief description of some of the issues that the committees worked on during 2008.

The Standing Committee on Finance, in addition to the overwhelming task of reviewing the budget, must look at every major decision rendered by the County that has financial implications. The Committee remained active throughout the year dealing with the financial issues that faced Barnstable County, and dealt with the supplemental appropriations that were required.

The Standing Committee on Natural Resources worked on growth management initiatives, draft revisions to the Regional Policy Plan, and County wastewater management issues.

The Standing Committee on Economic Affairs was involved with the County's Economic Development Council, the revenues received from the purchase of the Barnstable County license plates, and the grants that were awarded by the County from those revenues.

The Standing Committee on Public Services worked on issues relating to the conversion of the gym at the jail to a new water testing laboratory and matters relating to the existing buildings within the County complex.

The Standing Committee on Governmental Regulations reviewed and recommended the adoption of the two DCPCs that were approved, one in Barnstable and one in Brewster, and the revisions to the Regional Policy Plan that were approved.

The Standing Committee on Health and Human Services worked closely with the Barnstable County Human Services Advisory Council on its prioritization of human services funding needs in Barnstable County and looked at ways whereby funding could be obtained. It worked with the Human Rights Commission to assess where changes were needed to the composition and structure of the Commission.

BARNSTABLE COUNTY CHARTER REVIEW

Every five years Barnstable County must review its Home Rule Charter.  By Resolution 04-02, the Assembly of Delegates established a Charter Review Committee, required by Article 9, General Provisions, Section 9-4, Periodic Review of the Barnstable County Home Rule Charter.   The Committee completed its work and made its report with recommendations to the Assembly of Delegates in November 2005.  A copy of the report is available upon request.

In January 2006 the Assembly of Delegates established an Ad Hoc Committee to study the report of the Charter Review Committee.  The Ad Hoc Committee met regularly and reported recommendations for consideration by the Assembly of Delegates.  An ordinance recommending changes to the Charter was adopted by the Assembly of Delegates in July 2006, and those changes will be put before the voters in Barnstable County at a future election.

During the previous review of the Charter, and at the election in November 7, 2000, voters in Barnstable County approved changes to the Barnstable County Home Rule Charter.  One change renamed the governmental entity of Barnstable County to the "Regional Government of Cape Cod, known as Barnstable County".    The vote indicated support for the regional services provided by Barnstable County to its community.  There were other changes to the Charter that were approved by the voters in November 2000.  The residents of Cape Cod were informed of these changes, and they are described in its entirety in Sections 10 and 11 of Ordinance 99-14. Barnstable County is fiscally responsible and provides a significant amount of services to the towns, and it is believed that Cape Cod residents showed their continued support of Barnstable County by their favorable vote.

Barnstable County government has always been recognized as the exception to failing county governments in Massachusetts and has served as a model for the successful regionalization of services. The Assembly of Delegates, in conjunction with the Board of County Commissioners, the executive branch of the Cape Cod Regional Government, work together to preserve and enhance regional services in Barnstable.   

COUNTY DEPARTMENTS

There are numerous departments within the County that provide services to the towns within Barnstable County. Each year the County publishes an Annual Report that gives a detailed analysis of programs and services performed by each department. In addition, County officials meet with Boards of Selectmen each year and outline what services their specific town receives from the County and other programs that are available are discussed. Utilization of County services provides savings to the towns and the cost benefits are highlighted at these meetings.

The Cape Cod Commission is a department of Barnstable County and is funded by the Cape Cod Environmental Protection Fund. The Cape Cod Commission was created in 1990 by an Act of the Massachusetts General Court and confirmed by a majority of Barnstable County voters. The Commission was established as a regional planning and regulatory agency.  The Assembly of Delegates oversees, by adoption of ordinances, regulations of the Cape Cod Commission dealing with the Regional Policy Plan, Developments of Regional Impact and Districts of Critical Planning Concern.

Additional information about Barnstable County may be obtained by contacting the Assembly of Delegates office.  

Site last updated on January 29, 2009