What Is Barnstable County Government?
Barnstable County is the regional government for all of Cape Cod — 15 towns, approximately 229,000 year-round residents, and over 500,000 in summer. Founded in 1685, it operates under a Home Rule Charter adopted by voters in 1988 and revised in 2010.
Unlike counties in most other US states, Barnstable County does not run police, schools, roads, or fire departments. Those are all town responsibilities. The county is a regional services layer that sits between the 15 towns and the state government — handling things that cross town boundaries.
Three Branches of County Government
Board of Regional Commissioners
The three Commissioners are the executive branch — elected at-large by all voters in Barnstable County for staggered 4-year terms. Each January they elect a Chair and Vice-Chair from among themselves.
| Name | Role | Town | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Forest | Chair (2026) | South Yarmouth | 2025–2028 |
| Ronald Bergstrom | Vice-Chair (2026) | Chatham | 2023–2026 |
| Sheila Lyons | Commissioner | Wellfleet | 2025–2028 |
Key powers: Propose annual budget, appoint the County Administrator, oversee all departments, sign or veto ordinances passed by the Assembly (override requires 2/3 weighted vote).
Assembly of Delegates
Each of the 15 towns elects one delegate on a nonpartisan basis every two years. The Assembly is the legislative branch — all legislative powers of the county are vested here. Delegates use weighted voting based on their town’s population from the 2020 Census.
| Town | Delegate | Role | Vote Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barnstable | Frank Frederickson | Delegate | 21.36% |
| Falmouth | Daniel Gessen | Deputy Speaker | 14.20% |
| Yarmouth | Susan Warner | Delegate | 11.06% |
| Bourne | Wayne Sampson | Delegate | 8.93% |
| Sandwich | James Killion | Delegate | 8.85% |
| Mashpee | Michaela Wyman-Colombo | Delegate | 6.58% |
| Dennis | John Ohman | Dean / Finance Chair | 6.51% |
| Harwich | Elizabeth Harder | Delegate | 5.95% |
| Brewster | Karl Fryzel | Delegate | 4.51% |
| Chatham | Randi Potash | Speaker | 2.88% |
| Orleans | Jon R. Fuller | Delegate | 2.80% |
| Eastham | J. Terence Gallagher | Delegate | 2.55% |
| Wellfleet | Lilli-Ann Green | Delegate | 1.56% |
| Truro | Sallie Tighe | Delegate | 1.09% |
| Provincetown | Brian O’Malley | Delegate | 1.07% |
Meetings: 1st and 3rd Wednesdays, 4:00 PM, Mary Pat Flynn Conference Center, 3195 Main Street, Barnstable. Open to the public (hybrid format).
County Administration
| Title | Name |
|---|---|
| County Administrator | Michael Dutton |
| Assistant County Administrator | Vaira Harik |
| Treasurer / Finance Director | Carol Coppola |
| Human Resources Director | Justyna Marczak |
Other Elected County Officials
| Office | Name | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Sheriff’s Office → | Donna D. Buckley | First woman elected Sheriff in county history. Launched Bridge Center reentry program. Took office Jan 2023. |
| Register of Deeds → | John F. Meade | In office since 1989. Longest-serving Register in county history. Digitized all records by 1999. |
| Register of Probate → | Anastasia Welsh Perrino | In office since 2009. Created guardianship sub-unit, virtual registry, walk-in magistrate sessions. |
| District Attorney → | Robert J. Galibois II | Cape & Islands DA. 25% drop in overdoses 2023–2024. State office, not county-administered. |
County Departments & Services
The county provides regional services that individual towns cannot efficiently run on their own. Here are the major departments:
Health & Environment
Water quality lab (16,000+ samples/year, one of 5 MA labs certified for PFAS testing), septic management, emergency planning. Director: James Gardiner.
Department of Human Services
Behavioral health, housing & homelessness (~$2.7M HUD funding), substance use prevention, SHINE Medicare counseling, aging services. Director: Joseph Pacheco.
Dredge Program
Maintains harbors and channels for all 15 Cape towns. Three dredges, ~70% below private-sector rates. 30th season in FY2026. Director: Ken Cirillo.
Cooperative Extension
Joint program with UMass Amherst. Agriculture, marine resources, water quality, recycling, 4-H youth, tick-borne disease education. 450+ volunteers. Director: Mike Maguire.
Sheriff’s Office & Corrections
588-bed correctional facility at Joint Base Cape Cod. Regional 911 dispatch for multiple towns. Bureau of Criminal Investigations. Bridge Center reentry program (2025).
Children’s Cove
Cape & Islands Child Advocacy Center. Nationally accredited (4th consecutive period, Dec 2024). Serves child victims of abuse and trafficking. Director: Stacy Gallagher.
Registry of Deeds
Records and maintains all property records for all 15 towns. Online: barnstabledeeds.org. Deeds excise revenue is the county’s largest revenue source.
AmeriCorps Cape Cod
20 national service members annually since 1999. 1,000,000+ hours served, ~$26M estimated value. Natural resources, disaster prep, environmental education.
Cape Cod Commission
The Cape Cod Commission is the most powerful planning body on Cape Cod — a regional planning and regulatory agency that is legally part of county government. Created in 1990 after 76% of Cape Cod voters endorsed it, the Commission can approve or deny large development projects that affect more than one town.
Three core powers:
- Regional Planning — Prepares the Regional Policy Plan (RPP), the master blueprint for land use, development, and infrastructure across all 15 towns. Most recent RPP adopted November 2025.
- Districts of Critical Planning Concern (DCPCs) — Can designate areas requiring special protections, with temporary development moratoriums while towns develop protective bylaws.
- Development of Regional Impact (DRI) Review — Reviews and can approve or deny large-scale development projects. Decisions are quasi-judicial and can be appealed to Land Court.
Executive Director: Kristy Senatori · Website: capecodcommission.org
County Budget
The county does not tax individual citizens directly. It assesses towns based on equalized property valuations — wealthier towns pay more. The largest and most variable revenue source is the Registry of Deeds excise tax on real estate transactions.
Budget process: Commissioners propose → Assembly reviews and modifies → Assembly approves (or rejects). The Assembly can increase, decrease, or omit budget items.
Fiscal outlook: County finance projects expenditures to begin exceeding revenues in FY2028, with a potential $45M borrowing need for PFAS mitigation infrastructure on the horizon.
How Does This Affect You?
The County Works Primarily for the Towns
The county charter was designed to serve the 15 towns as a regional service cooperative. The funding model is town-centric (county assesses towns, not citizens). The Assembly represents towns. The Cape Cod Commission members are appointed by town Select Boards.
However, the direct election of Commissioners, Sheriff, and Register of Deeds creates a secondary layer of individual citizen accountability. Some services — SHINE Medicare counseling, Children’s Cove, human services — serve individual residents directly.
Resources
Official county websites and contact information.
County government official site capecodcommission.org
Cape Cod Commission barnstabledeeds.org
Registry of Deeds — property records bsheriff.net
Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office
County Complex: 3195 Main Street, Barnstable, MA 02630 · Phone: 508-375-6648