I am opposed to a merger of the cities of Auburn and Lewiston. I don’t believe that there will be any tax savings if the two cities are merged. I believe that, in fact, taxes will increase.

For example, if one city is paying its department employees more than the other city, unions are not going to negotiate a reduction in the pay grades to the lower level. Rather, the pay will be adjusted to the higher level.

A $200,000 study was commissioned about eight years ago by the two cities to study consolidation of services. That commission concluded that city employee pay would have to be adjusted upward by more than $600,000 per year on just the city side of the budget alone. According to the same study, when the contracts of school employees are included, the increase in pay to personnel could exceed $1 million per year.

There has been absolutely no urgent call for a merger of the two cities. There are no significant benefits to be derived from such a plan.

The combined population and geographical size of Lewiston-Auburn would not change under a merger. A new city would require the same number of police officers, teachers, public works employees and firefighters, but at a significantly higher cost to the already beleaguered taxpayers.

I hope others will join me in voting “no” — against a merger.

Larry Conrad, Auburn,

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