Barnstable County Administrator Michael Dutton delivered the commissioners' annual report to the Assembly of Delegates, highlighting seven priority areas for the coming year including environmental stewardship, fiscal stability, coastal resilience, ARPA-funded affordable housing projects, public safety investments and PFAS remediation. Communications manager Sonia Sheasley presented the county's annual report format and distribution plan.

Dutton said the county "allocated over 41,000,000 in ARPA funds" to projects that included support for 10 affordable housing projects across Cape Cod and, he said, helped create more than 320 housing units. He also described work on coastal resilience and changes to Title 5 septic regulations designed to reduce nitrogen pollution, noting that an estimated 85% of Cape homes rely on septic systems.

On public safety Dutton reported that construction of a regional fire-training facility in Yarmouth is nearing completion and that the county continues to operate a mobile fire-training apparatus distributed around the Cape. He also outlined ongoing work to address PFAS contamination at an old fire training facility; county staff and an engineering contractor are finalizing a plan that would use an injected carbon permeable reactive barrier to trap PFAS in subsurface flows while disposal options are assessed.

Dutton emphasized fiscal work the county has completed, saying the county implemented a financial stability plan and maintained a double-A-plus bond rating. He told delegates the county would continue to advise and support towns on coastal resilience because rating agencies increasingly consider climate risks when assessing municipal bonds.

Communications manager Sonia Sheasley previewed the county's annual report, which she said is a 306-page digital document organized by department. She described accessibility and navigation features, a search function, bookmarking, and a promotional plan that includes a press release, social media and an email distribution to the county's contact list (about 50,000 contacts). Sheasley said the county launched "Open Finance," an online tool giving public access to county financial information.

Chairwoman of the Barnstable County Board of Commissioners, Jo-Ann (R) Lyons, joined remotely and offered brief remarks congratulating newly elected delegates and noting the commissioners will begin their budget process the following week.

No formal action was taken on the items Dutton presented; the presentation was informational, and staff offered to provide written materials referenced during the briefing.