AUBURN—

[email protected]

AUBURN — Councilors on Monday said they were defending city budgets by voting to keep city staff from helping a joint Lewiston-Auburn charter effort.

“Tonight the discussion of the pros and cons of a merger should not be taking our time,” Councilor Bob Stone said. “Tonight we need to consider the best use our taxpayer-funded employees’ time. I don’t see any obfuscation, I don’t see any attempt to kneecap anything. I see very clear direction set for very busy city employees.”

Councilors voted 4-3 to pass the resolve, with councilors Andy Titus, Grady Burns and David Young opposing it.

“I, too, believe that we have to be careful and limit how much staff time goes into this,” said Titus, who admitted he is skeptical about the charter effort. “However, I am not in favor of this resolve, only because I believe it went too far. It’s one thing to ask our staff to limit their involvement and to ask our city manager to monitor this. But to write a resolve makes the process very difficult.”

They were urged not to by charter commissioners and supporters.

Charter Commission Chairman Gene Geiger said the commission’s work is largely done and volunteers are mostly needed after regular hours.

“We are seeking a participation from a broad section of citizens, and there is particular value in people with specific expertise — those who know the organizations and do the work,” Geiger said.

The commission has released a draft charter that would combine the two cities. Now they are working to create a draft report showing how the combined cities could operate and what kind of savings and efficiencies, if any, residents could expect to see.

The charter has identified four committee groups which would study the following areas:

• Public safety;

• Education;

• Public Works and utilities; and

• General city operations and administration.

Those committees would be made up of citizens and city councilors, but Lewiston and Auburn employees would be included as experts in their particular departments.

Members of the commission had asked Lewiston Mayor Bob Macdonald and Auburn Mayor Jonathan LaBonte to recommend people who could serve on the four working committees, including residents, city councilors and city staff.

Commission supporters said they do not necessarily support merging the cities. The working committees are the only way to truly answer questions about whether the effort makes economic sense.

“I don’t want to be faced with making a decision in the future about whether we should be one city or two unless I am armed with all of the information,” resident Bruce Rioux of 85 Mary Carrol St., said. “I need the information to make an intelligent decision.”

But former Auburn Councilor Ron Potvin, a member of a group opposing all aspects of the charter work, urged councilors to stay the course.

“I applaud you guys for taking a stand to not allow city services to be rendered,” Potvin said. “It’s their responsibility to figure out this cockamamie idea.”

But Stone said there are ways he sees staff being able to work with the charter: He’d allow staff to work with the merger effort if Auburn voters go to the polls to support a merger first. He’s also willing to let staff work with the committee now as long as they are not on the clock and do not speak for the city.

[email protected]