Cape and Islands Water Protection Board Holds Inaugural Meeting

 

BARNSTABLE – A newly established management board dedicated to overseeing funds for water protection projects on the Cape and Islands has officially began operations.

The Cape Cod and Islands Water Protection Fund Management Board was established to assist the 15 towns on the Cape in funding costly wastewater management projects. The board collects funds through a 2.75-percent excise tax on lodging and short-term rentals, which will take effect on July 1.

The board’s inaugural meeting was held last week at the Barnstable County Complex, where leaders were elected and operations began to be organized. Officials from the state Department of Environmental Protection and Clean Water Trust also addressed the newly elected board members on methods of funding various projects.

Sandwich Town Manager Bud Dunham was elected Chairman of the Board for a one-year term.

“What’s interesting about it is that it’s a new piece of legislation that came out towards the end of last calendar year and we’re still trying to figure out how it’s all going to work. I think that’s an interesting part because the board has been established, we know there’s going to be a funding source after July 1. None of us quite know how much that’s going to be or how quickly it will build up,” Dunham said.

“My guess, is we don’t have any real money to do things for quite a bit, and that will give us time to figure out things like internal bylaws and how the group will operate and how it will consider different projects as it comes forward.”

The board is comprised of 15 members, one representing each town. Dukes and Nantucket counties, who are not part of the board, have been authorized to join on a non-voting basis.

A six-member sub-committee will also be established to develop bylaws for the board to operate under.

“I know everyone understands that a combination of wastewater and the contamination of the embayments and regular water resources and other things are probably the biggest environmental issues facing the Cape for many decades,” said Dunham.

“With this source of funding, combined with local efforts, there should be a way for all of the towns on the Cape, and if the islands decide to join as well, there should be reasonable ways we could go about addressing those problems.”

The board is scheduled to meet next on June 26.

By TIM DUNN, CapeCod.com News Center 

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