MAHONE BAY - If the first of five public meetings was any indication, taxpayers don't have any objections to municipalities formally sharing services, just lots of unanswered questions.

 Only about 20 people aside from municipal politicians and staff showed up at the Mahone Bay fire hall Monday night to hear details of a proposal which would see Mahone Bay, Bridgewater and the Municipality of Lunenburg form a joint authority.

 The Lunenburg Regional Services Board would oversee solid waste management for the three units, gradually taking on responsibility for recreation, economic development and possibly other services.

 It would operate as a separate municipal corporation. The units would continue to individually provide services not transferred to the joint board.

 The concept is being recommended by Dartmouth-based Marathon Human Resource Consulting Group, which studied services, facilities and programs in the three units at their request.

 But after a 35-minute presentation by Marathon consultants, the first response of the night questioned why the three units are not moving directly to amalgamation.

 Mahone Bay resident Bob Douglas said taxpayers view the region as one community anyway, crossing political boundaries daily for shopping, recreation and employment. He compared the joint authority to "a very complicated three-year pregnancy" which will then result in amalgamation.

 The consultants are recommending that the units consider amalgamation again after the authority has been operating for three years. However, at this point they said there really are few benefits.

 Brian Duggan told the group amalgamation could result in savings of about $428,000 a year if the number of councillors was reduced from 30 to nine and CAOs from three to one. However, under existing rules it would also mean a loss of about $500,000 in provincial grants.

 "So there's a balance there," he said. "There's no real gain."

 That was a surprise to some. Oakland resident Tom Ernst said he'd like to see more numbers.

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 "Amalgamation should cut down expenses. I think we're vastly over-governed," he said.

 Politicians have suggested an immediate move to amalgamation would be difficult, if not impossible. Shared services is seen as a stepping stone toward that amalgamation.

 Several people asked for more details about impacts on tax rates and services. They also wanted to know more about how various services would be funded.

 Mahone Bay Mayor Joe Feeney said that information isn't available and won't be until the units negotiate the particulars. Different funding methods could be used for various services, as they already are for everything from solid waste to regional emergency management.

 Murray Crouse suggested there are often winners and losers when different entities merge.

 Consultant Brian Smith said the step-by-step process of sharing services should help prevent that more so than amalgamation.

 "Hopefully, that means there's less of a gloss over or bulldozer effect that leads to those shortcomings," he said.

 Municipal resident Jason Mailman questioned why Lunenburg and the Municipality of Chester aren't involved in the study. Both opted not to participate.

 "You'd have to ask them why," Mayor Feeney said.

 Mr. Smith said the plan would allow the other town and municipality to join later if they wished and the participating units agreed.

 Municipal Mayor Don Downe reiterated the consultants' explanations that municipalities will be facing significant economic and regulatory challenges in the next decade.

 "We cannot control it," he said. "We're trying to be proactive and ahead of that curve."

 Mayor Feeney thanked those who attended, urging them and anyone else to provide feedback about the proposal.

 "We need to know what people are thinking about this. We need to try to, as best we can, reflect in our deliberations what you want us to do," he said.

 The consultants' report and e-mail addresses to provide input are available on each of the three municipal websites.

 Additional public meetings are scheduled for Pinehurst on January 24, Riverport on January 25, Bridgewater on January 26 and Petite Riviere on January 30.

 The three councils are expected to vote on the recommendations in mid-February.

posted on 01/25/12