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Barnstable County dredge budget recommended to finance as permitting study nears completion
Summary
Delegates recommended the dredge department's FY budget to the finance committee after Director Ken Cirillo said a dredge permitting optimization study is near final and affirmed the enterprise fund is expected to break even for FY25, though permit delays and project funding remain uncertainties.
Ken Cirillo, director of the dredge department for Barnstable County, told the Assembly of Delegates standing committee on public services on March 17 that a consultant report on dredge permitting is nearly finished and could be presented in mid-April.
The committee convened virtually and voted to recommend the dredge operating budget to the finance committee. The recommendation passed unanimously on a roll-call vote.
The dredge permitting optimization study is intended to identify “where the roadblocks are” in towns obtaining 10-year comprehensive permits and to recommend steps towns and the regional dredge program can take, Cirillo said. He said the draft was reviewed with stakeholders and that publication is likely in “no more than 2 months, probably 4 weeks or so,” though he noted a consultant had a recent surgery that could cause a short delay.
Cirillo described the department as operating under an enterprise-fund model and said that, for FY25, officials do not currently anticipate needing a supplemental appropriation from the county general fund. He added that the department’s revenues and expenses are capital-intensive and subject to volatility from project size, permitting outcomes and fuel and equipment costs.
Delegates pressed Cirillo on personnel and line-item changes. Cirillo said a previously proposed administrative assistant position had been removed from the current budget during assembly review, noting a fully loaded cost of about $96,343 for that AA position. He said a maintenance technician line has existed in prior budgets but has been vacant for three years; its fully loaded cost was described as “in that same ballpark.”
On permitting, Cirillo told delegates the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers remains the main federal source of delay and that state agencies such as the department of marine fisheries and the Department of Environmental Protection are working on parallel studies to improve permit efficiency. He said federal agencies including NOAA and Fish and Wildlife also contribute to permitting delays, and cautioned that he did not expect an imminent improvement: “No. Has it been is it going to get better? No.”
Cirillo reviewed projects that are included in the department’s schedule and those left out because permits are pending. He said some large projects — including a Mashpee approach project and deeper modifications in Falmouth — present substantial potential revenue but also funding and permitting complexity. He flagged Sandwich as having an “aggressive” project that was not included in the budget because its permit was not yet certain.
Cirillo also described recent capital and grant support the department used to rebuild equipment, and said the department is applying for a Mass Dredge grant aimed at regional dredging programs that could contribute to capital needs such as booster-engine work.
After discussion, Delegate Bridal moved and the committee seconded a recommendation that the finance committee consider the dredge department budget; a roll call recorded five affirmative votes and the motion passed unanimously.
The committee requested the department present the consultant report when available and indicated delegates might visit active dredging sites in coming weeks to observe operations.
Notes: the department said it is tracking projects conservatively and that permit and funding uncertainties could change projected revenues and expenses for FY26.
