RUMFORD – Selectmen Chairman Greg Buccina says it’s possible that Rumford and neighboring Mexico could be sharing a town manager by July 1.

He said Tuesday evening that his board has asked town lawyer Tom Carey to draft the “best and quickest way” to present a town charter amendment to voters for action.

That draft, he said, should be available within a few days. Then, he said the board would either set two public information meetings to let residents know what such an arrangement would entail within a week or so, or at the board’s next regular meeting on June 5. A special election would then be set for voters to decide if they want to change the town charter to allow the two towns to share a manager.

He said the likelihood is that a special selectmen’s meeting will be called to consider the draft that Carey writes.

Carey could not be reached for comment Tuesday, but board Vice Chairman Arthur Boivin said he wants to see the towns share a manager as well as look into other ways they can share services.

“It will just take longer,” he said, referring to an earlier attempt to place the amendment on the referendum ballot at the June 10 primary election.

That plan was scuttled when Carey informed the board that the proper time frame for such action could not be followed prior to the June 10 election.

Mexico Town Manager John Madigan, who had once served as Rumford’s town manager, said Tuesday that he believes the Charter Commission’s amendment was made in a timely matter.

“It’s all an interpretation,” he said. “I don’t see why there is an issue.”

Despite the hold up, the five members of each town’s Board of Selectmen gathered Monday night for about 90 minutes to work through a compensation plan if Madigan takes the leadership reins of the two towns.

“It was a very positive meeting,” Mexico board Chairwoman Barbara Laramee said. “We’re pushing on with this.”

She said her board will wait to see what happens in Rumford.

“The only thing that could hold us back is a negative vote (at the special referendum),” she said Tuesday afternoon.

Laramee believes the sharing of town managers and other services, such as fire, police and public works departments, would be a good thing for both towns, particularly in light of the skyrocketing fuel costs.

“I don’t think both towns could continue with all their services separately,” she said. “In Mexico, we’ve done as much as we can do to keep costs down and still provide services.”

Chairman Buccina said he wants to make sure that the town charter is followed precisely and that the proper procedure is followed.

If sharing a town manager does not happen, then he said the board will advertise to fill the position. If a period of time occurs between the time Town Manager Jim Doar leaves and a new person comes on board, then the chairman of the Board of Selectmen will fill in. Doar’s contract expires June 10.

Who the chairman will be depends upon the result of the June 10 election. Buccina and Selectman Mark Belanger are being challenged for their positions.