BLOG: 10 things you didn’t know about the Cape Cod Commission

Feb 3, 2014

1. IT LIVES WITHIN ITS MEANS AND BEATS THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX.

Since 1991, average property tax bills for single family homes grew five times faster than Commission assessments, which grew less than the CPI and common consumer goods.

wp-1991-2014

SOURCES:
Mass. Department of Revenue
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Cape Cod Commission

2. IT SAVES TOWNS MONEY.

The Commission has collected $9.4 million in mitigation funds to offset project impacts that towns would otherwise need to pay for. This doesn’t include additional millions in developer-funded transportation, housing and open space projects.

3. IT SAVES THE REGION MONEY.

The Commission facilitated $8 million in savings through regional trash contract negotiations and $1 million by contracting a single flyover instead of 15 individual flights for map imaging.

4. IT BRINGS IN OUTSIDE MONEY.

In addition to supporting innovative projects, grant funds received by the Commission support about a third of its annual budget.

HIGHLIGHTED GRANTS

$3.35 Million: Wastewater, 2013
The state designated the Commission as the agency responsible for updating the 1978 Water Quality Plan.

$2.31 million: MassDOT
Funding for Comprehensive, Cooperative and Continuing transportation planning activities on Cape Cod.

$500,000: ePermitting, 2012
The largest ever Community Innovation Challenge Grant funded a pilot ePermitting program.

$389,000: HOME Program, 2013
Continued implementation funds from U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.$128,000: Joint Base Cape Cod, 2013
The Department of Defense, Office of Economic Adjustment funded a joint land use study$45,000: Hazard Planning, 2014
FEMA funds to develop Local Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plans for Yarmouth, Bourne, Mashpee, Harwich, and Falmouth.

5. THE TOWNS ARE THE COMMISSION.

15 of the 19 voting members are appointed by the elected selectmen and leaders of each town.

6. IT’S NEW AGAIN.

With new appointments, 75% of the Commission’s voting membership turned over in the last eight years; 50% in the last four years.

COMMISSION MEMBER APPOINTMENT YEAR

Barnstable 2006
Bourne 2007
Brewster 1998
Chatham vacant
Dennis 2010
Eastham 2009

Falmouth 2012
Harwich 2013
Mashpee 1998
Orleans 2011
Provincetown 2010
Sandwich 2013
Truro 2013

Wellfleet 2008
Yarmouth 2009
County Com. 2011
Minority 2003
Native Am. vacant
Gov. Appt. vacant

7. ITS REGULATORY PROGRAM REPRESENTS LESS THAN 10% OF STAFF.

The regulatory staff has declined in favor of other disciplines to deliver innovative planning work.

8. IT APPROVES PROJECTS.

The Commission approved 96 percent of the 55 substantive Development of Regional Impact projects since 2007. Just two were denied: New Generation Wind in Bourne and Lowes in Dennis.