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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@cape.com. 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 tenth session of the Assembly of Delegates on November 7, 2006, and were sworn in on January 3, 2007.

At the beginning of each legislative session of the Assembly, a  Speaker and  Deputy Speaker are elected from its membership. The Assembly of Delegates also elects a Clerk , not a Delegate, for a two year term to provide legislative assistance to the Assembly.  Charlotte Striebel, the Delegate from Yarmouth, was elected Speaker for the tenth session of the Assembly of Delegates.  Raymond Gottwald, the Delegate from Harwich, 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 upon request.  The meetings are also televised on local public access channels. 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 received.  

ASSEMBLY WORK DURING 2007

During 2007 the Assembly of Delegates reviewed and adopted the Board of County Commissioner's budget for fiscal year 2008.  Prior to the end of Fiscal Year 2007, it was projected that the County would end its fiscal year balanced or that there would be a small deficit.  This is due to the decrease in activity at the Registry of Deeds.  The Fiscal Year 2008 budget was adopted based on the continued projection that revenues at the Registry of Deeds would be at a decreased level because of slow economic conditions in the real estate industry.  The Fiscal Year 2008 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 Assembly of Delegates adopted numerous ordinances during 2007.   An ordinance was adopted that revised the timeline for the submission of the County Commissioners’ budget and the budget process.    The Assembly of Delegates rescinded amounts authorized in the Capital Projects Fund as originally appropriated during various fiscal years.  An Emergency Ordinance was adopted for a supplemental appropriation for a water quality issue that occurred at the Fire Training Academy.   A subsequent ordinance was adopted to further the cleanup operation at the Academy.  An ordinance was adopted for the purpose of funding the conversion of the gym in the old County jail to a water testing lab for the County Health Department.  An ordinance was adopted that authorized the County Commissioners to enter into a long-term lease with Gosnold, Inc. for the premises located at 875 County Road, Pocasset, for the purpose of the continued operation of the MICA program.

The Assembly of Delegates adopted an ordinance that established a Growth Incentive Zone on Route 28 in Yarmouth.  This was the second Growth Incentive Zone established in Barnstable County.  The first was established in the town of Barnstable.  The town of Yarmouth and the Cape Cod Commission collaborated on the ordinance that was adopted.  
       
The Assembly of Delegates received testimony from residents about a pending bill to ban all household cleaning products which contain a phosphorous compound in concentrations in excess of a trace quantity, with certain exceptions, and adopted a resolution to support bill numbered S536.

Representatives from the Cape Care Coalition kept the Assembly of Delegates informed about their work during the year, and the Assembly of Delegates adopted a resolution that encouraged the Cape Care Coalition to work with the Commonwealth’s Connector Board and others as the Cape Care Coalition designs a program that provides health care coverage for all. 


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.  

The official web site for the County is:

Cape Cod Regional Government (known as Barnstable County)

County Departments or Programs

Cape Cod Commission
Cape Cod Cooperative Extension
Cape Cod Economic Development Council
Cape Cod Water Protection Collaborative
Cape Light Compact
Children's Cove
County Dredge
Fire Training Academy
Department of Health & the Environment
Human Services
Human Rights Commission
Public Safety
Purchasing Department
Regional Tobacco Control
Registry of Deeds
Resource Development Office/AmeriCorps Cape Cod

Towns in Barnstable County

Town of Barnstable
Town of Bourne
Town of Brewster
Town of Chatham
Town of Dennis
Town of Eastham
Town of Falmouth
Town of Harwich
Town of Mashpee
Town of Orleans
Town of Provincetown
Town of Sandwich
Town of Truro
Town of Wellfleet
Town of Yarmouth


Web page designed and maintained by Diane C. Thompson, Clerk

Site last updated on April 1, 2008

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