Barnstable County unveils 306-page 2024 annual report, highlights environmental work and ARPA allocations

Sonja Friesley, communications coordinator for Barnstable County, presented the county's fiscal year 2024 annual report during the commissioners' meeting, calling it "the annual report for fiscal year 24" and noting the document is 306 pages — the longest to date.

Friesley said the report is distributed as a digital, downloadable document (online since 2018) and that the county saves about $2,000 a year by keeping the report digital. She described new navigation and accessibility features, a search function, bookmarking tools and improved mobile and tablet optimization. "We do have some enhanced layout and navigation this year and some improved optimization for mobile and tablet viewing," Friesley said.

The report highlights the county's environmental stewardship work, including public education on Title 5 changes to reduce nitrogen pollution and ongoing efforts to address PFAS contamination. Friesley also noted the county's opposition to a proposed gun range at Joint Base Cape Cod and said the county maintained an AA bond rating during the fiscal year while launching an Open Finance Platform.

Friesley identified major items summarized in the report, including ARPA allocations: "Of course, ARPA, we talked about the allocation of the $41,000,000," she said. The report also marks anniversaries for local programs: the Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center's 25th anniversary and AmeriCorps Cape Cod's 25th anniversary, which Friesley said collectively accounted for nearly 1,000,000 service hours.

Commissioners praised the report and Friesley's work. One commissioner thanked Friesley for the many hours she invested and noted the report cover photo was taken by Susan Evans, a National County Government Month award winner. Friesley said the county will release a press release and promotional materials, including a 40- to 50-second video, social posts and graphics, and distribute links by email and local access TV.

The county indicated the annual report will be posted to the commissioners' section of the county website after the meeting and made available for download and sharing.