Cape Cod delegates hear unanimous working-group support to study regional transfer fee to fund year‑round housing

Barnstable County Administrator Michael Dutton updated the Cape Cod Regional Government Assembly of Delegates on Aug. 6, 2025, saying the county's housing working group has prioritized exploring a regional real‑estate transfer fee to raise money for year‑round and attainable housing.

The working group, Dutton told the assembly, recommended further research into a luxury transfer fee, year‑round deed restrictions, lease‑to‑locals incentives and improved coordination among towns and service providers. The group's members, he said, "were unanimously supportive" of pursuing study of a transfer fee as one funding option.

The recommendation matters because delegates, regional housing advocates and business leaders said the Cape faces a continuing shortage of year‑round housing for working households. Delegates asked how a transfer fee would be structured, whether it would require new county administration, and how revenues would be used; Dutton and outside speakers said those details need additional analysis.

Dutton described the working group's scope and recent activity, including an RFP to continue the shared regional housing services office (initially funded by federal ARPA dollars) and an examination of options such as year‑round deed restrictions, lease‑to‑locals…