Perhaps it’s nothing more than a childhood lesson being put into service for city government, but we like the effort by mayors Normand Guay of Auburn and Lionel Guay of Lewiston to work together.

The two mayors held a press conference Wednesday to announce that the Twin Cities will create an advisory committee to explore ways the two jurisdictions can better cooperate on services – and save money.

According to the brothers, the committee will look at every part of city government and report back in about nine months. The mayors will be seeking support for this at a joint meeting of the two city councils next Tuesday.

So far, the mayors haven’t released the list of the people who will sit on the committee and are playing appointments close to the vest. The public would be better served if the selection process were completely transparent, but we should know soon enough who will be making the recommendations.

Lewiston and Auburn share many common attributes, but there’s also plenty of differences between the two, not the least of which is community pride. Normand and Lionel Guay will face a tough test if they try to consolidate big swaths of municipal services. Nonetheless, their efforts are correct.

Sharing – which the brothers presumably learned growing up together – can lead to more efficient government. Every dollar raised from taxpayers is precious; the farther it can be stretched, the better.