Barnstable County Administrator Michael Dutton told the Assembly of Delegates on Wednesday that the regional board of commissioners has approved several administrative actions and that staff are preparing for an active fall season, including hurricane season and related disaster-recovery planning.

Dutton summarized recent commissioner actions: a supplemental budget appropriation to receive shared regional housing funds (roughly $157,000, to be paid by participating towns, he said); an almost $619,000 contract amendment with GZA, the licensed site professional for the former municipal fire training site; and a grant agreement between MassDEP and Barnstable County, acting through MassTC (now called the Clean Water Center), for just under $417,000 over two years to test urine-diversion strategies for reducing nitrogen loads in marine watersheds.

Dutton also said the commissioners authorized a no-cost extension for a drinking-water quality assessment and noted an earlier ARPA-funded pilot that provided 300 free well-water tests; the program continues on a fee basis. He said the county moved forward with a paving contract for county complex parking lots with MCE Dirt Works and that the work should finish before area asphalt plants close in November. He also noted a previous appropriation of about $400,000 for paving that staff had identified and directed to specific lots.

On budgeting and operations, Dutton said he plans to change how the county presents its annual budget to the assembly: he intends to present a consistent, county-level overview and to field initial questions himself so departmental staff have fewer separate hearings. "Whether you like it or not, I think the major change will be you'll see more of me," he said.

Dutton flagged disaster-recovery planning as a priority and said the county has been in discussions with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency about possible changes in FEMA funding and what that could mean for Cape Cod if a major storm requires federal disaster assistance. "We are concerned that if in the event that we have a disaster that requires significant funding, that funding may not be coming from the federal government," he said, adding the county and state may need to provide more relief if FEMA participation changes.

Delegates asked for clarification: Delegate Harder asked who will administer the shared regional housing program; Dutton said Human Services had run the program over the past two years but that oversight is moving into the administrator's office with a consultant and staff support. Finance committee members described interim capital project updates as "sobering," noting ongoing high costs for the municipal fire training site and superior court restoration work. Dutton said he would provide more detail to the assembly and encouraged delegates to contact him with specific questions.

Outcomes recorded in the meeting minutes indicate the commissioners authorized the items described; the assembly heard the update and asked follow-up questions but took no new policy votes at this session.