LEWISTON – An effort to study ways to combine Lewiston and Auburn services must get to details, councilors agreed Tuesday.

Councilors from both cities lined up behind a 10-member commission to study combining Twin City services.

“But it has to be specific, in the details,” Auburn Councilor Marcel Bilodeau said. “We don’t need general ideas. We need specific suggestions.”

Mayor Normand Guay promised the group, called the Lewiston-Auburn Commission on Joint Efforts, would come up with detailed suggestions. Then it would be up to the councilors to accept them.

“This is all about the dollar – about saving taxpayers’ dollars,” he said. “If it makes sense and saves money, I can’t imagine anyone not being willing to do it.”

Guay and his brother, Lewiston Mayor Lionel Guay, announced the effort last month. They plan to appoint a 10-member commission to review operations in both cities and identify ways to save money. They’ll continue work started by LA Together, a group of 20 or so people that studied the two cities in 1996.

“Maybe we’re picking up the baton, and maybe someday someone will take it over for us,” Normand Guay said. “But we’re carrying it, right now.”

Ed Desgrosseilliers of 121 Hatch Road in Auburn questioned why the mayors had not announced the names of the committee members.

“When you do things in secret, you create suspicion,” Desgrosseilliers said. “You turn a nice project into something sinister.”

Lionel Guay said the brothers would be ready to name names in a few days. They have agreements from eight of the 10 members, but need to have all 10 before they announce any members.

“We told the members, that’s what we would do,” Lionel Guay said. “We want to announce them all, as a commission.”

Lewiston Councilor Renee Bernier wondered why membership on the commission was so select, and Auburn Councilor Belinda Gerry said she wanted assurances that average people would be included.

“When you see the names of the people on this, I think you’ll be impressed,” Normand said.

But both groups supported the plan unanimously.

“The timing now is perfect,” Lewiston Councilor Norm Rousseau said. “We have more willingness to do this sort of thing now than ever before.”