In its management of Norton Point Beach, which is owned by Dukes County, the Trustees of Reservations produced a net surplus of $16,785 in the last fiscal year.

The county will receive more than $3,000 of that money through an agreement with the conservation group. Two years ago, the county enlisted the help of the Trustees to manage Norton Point beach with an agreement that the county would receive 20 per cent of what the group earned at the public beach.

“We’re thrilled with our $3,000 for this year,” commissioner Carlene Gatting said at Wednesday’s county commission meeting. “Better than nothing.”

Through the sale of merchandise and special permits, the Trustees made more than enough money to cover the year’s expenses, including the purchase of a $27,000 Ford pickup truck, as well as cover its $15,000 deficit from the previous year.

The Trustees made almost $6,000 from the sale of T-shirts before the group was halted by zoning laws, which prohibit commercial activity at the beach.

The halt of the lucrative business venture served as a small setback to the county, which had received part of the proceeds. The unsold shirts, of which Chris Kennedy, Islands regional director for the Trustees, estimated there are still a good amount, caught the attention of the commissioners, who suggested they be sold through the county Web site.

“We need the revenue,” commissioner Tristan Israel said.

As for Norton Point Beach, it is split into two parts by the wide breach at the south end of Katama Bay.

Mr. Kennedy reported that the Edgartown side is growing wider and longer, and the Chappaquidick side he said is growing shorter, more narrow and lower in elevation.

“It’s a tale of two cities,” Mr. Kennedy told the commissioners. Speaking of the Chappaquiddick side, he said, “There’s overwashing almost on a daily basis.”

In these current conditions, the Edgartown side will continue to grow and Chappaquiddick side will continue to shrink, Mr. Kennedy said.

While the 2007 breach has made life more difficult for Chappaquiddick residents and operators of the Chappaquiddick ferry, Mr. Kennedy reported that it has had its benefits. Silt buildup on the south side of Katama Bay has been washed away by the influx of water from the open ocean.

“From an ecological point of view, the breach has been tremendous,” Mr. Kennedy said.

In other developments, the county is still short both a commissioner to fill Paul Strauss’s seat following his retirement last month and an executive assistant. Commissioners discussed how they would fill the positions.

They received four applications from individuals interested in completing Mr. Strauss’s term and agreed to invite the applicants to the next meeting where they will hear from them and then vote.

At Wednesday’s meeting, the county had one more interview to complete before making a decision on a new executive assistant to fill the void left by Jennifer Randolph’s resignation last month. County manager Russell Smith said he hopes to have the position filled by the beginning of next week.

Since Ms. Randolph’s resignation, paperwork has piled up. County e-mails, including notifications of meetings once sent out by Ms. Randolph to all interested parties, are now sent only to the few legally required to know.

“Jennifer used to e-mail them out — the good old days when Jennifer was here,” Ms. Gatting remembered aloud at the meeting.

Mr. Smith said the county has been following the legal protocol for notifying the public of pending meetings, but it is working to enlarge the list of people who are notified.

The commissioners are next scheduled to meet August 13. Set for discussion are the newly revised beach rules, which have caused heated debate in recent weeks. The rules were sent to a committee after the last public hearing and reportedly have been simplified. The public will be invited to comment at the next meeting on the revised rules.