Barnstable Town Hall serves as the hub for city government. The Assessing Division, Aminal Control, Community Development, Finance Division, Senior Services, Town Attorney, Public Works, the Town Clerk, the Planning Board and many other departments are based at Town Hall.
Public Works' Highway Division maintains all of the town's roads and highways. Its responsibilities include patching potholes, salting and sanding during snowstorms, repairing vehicles and it is the first line of defense for maintaining road infrastructure. It also seasonally operates the Osterville drawbridge.
The Town Collector is responsible for billing and collecting taxes and fees, including quarterly real estate, personal property, motor vehicle, boat excise, sewer usage, road betterments, sewer, water, Title 5 septic and other miscellaneous items.
This office also provides municipal lien certificates and handles district taxes paid to the five fire districts and Hyannis Business Improvement District project.
The Public Works department protects, preserves and improves the town's infrastructure, including town roads and highways, buildings, grounds, beaches, marinas, cemeteries, and structural assets. In addition, Public Works also manages solid waste (residential waste at the dump), recycling and wastewater and controls water pollution. Public Works maintains vehicle fleets and equipment for the Town of Barnstable and provides snow and ice removal. This organization also manages the Hyannis area water supply.
The Town Manager is in charge of town administration and coordinates the daily activities within the town. In addition, the manager develops the annual budgets, oversees and reports financial and activity records for town personnel, maintains a record of all town property, administers town policies and negotiates all terms of employment for all town staff, except for the schools and airport.
Town Manager John Klimm aims to engage townspeople. He has several initiatives in place to share information and open the dialogue between the town and community including his daily program Barnstable Today and weekly newsletters.
The Town Clerk handles licensure for birth, deaths and marriages within Barnstable's borders, as well as licenses for dogs, fishing and hunting. The clerk is responsible for all town filings and records, and manages all historical and vital town records, plus voter registration, elections and town census.
Conservation protects the wetlands, shoreline, conservation land, hiking trails, lakes and ponds as well as issues permits.
Community Services is the backbone of community wellness. It propagates wellness programs for youth, adults, elders, families and townspeople through educational, recreational and preventative programming while sharing information with the public about town services. It also oversees the town's beaches, docks, slips, hiking trails, fields, Sandy Neck Park and community buildings.
The Water Supply Division manges the water distribution system used by residents and businesses in Hyannis.
Public Works' Water Pollution Control protects Barnstable's water supply and tests for contaminants. It also is responsible for managing some septic services and billing for Town sewers.
The Barnstable Municipal Airport has come a long way since its first flight landed on a grassy field in 1928. Since then, the 623 acre airport located in Hyannis has grown to house Cape Air/Nantucket Airline and Island Airlines, in addition to private and charter aircraft including Rectrix Aerodrome Centers, Inc., Griffin Aviation and Cape & Islands Air Freight.
The US TSA has an office here and officers on duty to secure passengers en route to Logan Airport in Boston. In addition to TSA officers, there are also police officers who staff the terminal.
The airport is also home to rental car services, a soon-to-open Mad Platter Restaurant and the Michele Kennedy art gallery.
In May 2012, officials dedicated a new passenger terminal, air traffic control tower and access road, elements of a $40 million improvement program.
The finance department manages six sub-divisions including the treasury, property management, assessing, town collector, town clerk and finance.
The finance sub-division manages three programs including vendor payments, general ledger maintenance and financial analysis and reporting.
The finance director, under the financial analysis and reporting program, develops the annual operating and capital program budgets, oversees all external and internal financial transactions and reporting, oversees all internal and external auditing and prepares the annual 10-year financial forecast for the town of Barnstable.
The Town Attorney is an advocate for the townspeople when it comes to municipal affairs, however he/she is the town attorney. Should an issue arise between a townsperson and the city, he/she sides with the city.
The town assessors division is responsible for valuing parcels of land and buildings, and updating property values for tax purposes. It also manages the processing of the motor vehicle excise tax abatements.
Public Works' Structures and Grounds Division protects and maintains all Town buildings and grounds including: parks, cemeteries, marinas, and recreational and community facilities.
The department of growth management is deeply involved in shaping how the town will look in the future, literally and figuratively.
This department is tasked with comprehensive planning for the town's long term needs and maintaining the plan, supporting each of the town's regulatory committees including zoning, planning, historic and acting as a sounding board on local planning issues daily.
It also coordinates community and economic development programs including HUD, affordable housing and arts and cultural opportunities.
It also manages property, traffic and parking. Growth management acts as an expert on dealing with issues related to property, traffic and parking through its management, but also is the entity charged with envisioning the future needs of the town.
Its main office is in Town Hall, however it has staff in the regulatory office at 230 South Street.
Barnstable develops plans for the use of information systems and technology to make the town work more effectively and efficiently. It also implements, integrates and manages technology and provides support.
The Hyannis Youth & Community Center is a brand new facility built in 2009 for year-round community recreation. It houses two ice skating rinks for skating and hockey programs, two basketball/volleyball courts, a skateboard park, walking track, teen game room and cafe.
The recreation department has its office inside the center. Recreation provides a variety of youth and adult leisure programs to Barnstable residents. Whether it's golf, swimming at one of the town beaches or ice skating at the Hyannis Youth Community Center, the recreation division is constantly assessing its programming and creating new affordable programs to meet the public's needs.
It also provides permits for town athletic fields and community buildings, monitors public safety at beaches, and issues beach stickers and parking permits for residents throughout the busy summer season.