Barnstable County's Assembly of Delegates recently considered three possible options to deal with a deficit, regarding its dredge program.
The county has provided dredging services to 14 Cape Cod communities since 1996 but has lost money for several of these. A Baltimore firm has been charged with reviewing the program and developing rate plans to make it revenue-neutral over the next five years.
An analysis has shown that private contracting for dredging operations is prohibitively expensive, and state and federal subsidies no longer help fund the program.
(Photo by SIMON MAINA/AFP via Getty Images)
Photo: SIMON MAINA / AFP / Getty Images