ST. AGATHA – Selectmen this week authorized their town manager to speak with neighboring officials about ways to consolidate or regionalize services.

Town Manager Ryan Pelletier said he would seek to speak with town officials in the region to discuss municipal departments such as education, public works, fire protection and economic development.

Pelletier said the effort would look at Gov. John E. Baldacci’s proposals that are designed to make municipal services less costly.

“I’ve been authorized to start the process of at least talking with one another,” Pelletier said Friday.

“I think we will be looking at something from Augusta in the short future, and towns may have to look at this or face smaller revenues from the state,” he said. “Towns that don’t want to play may have to pay more or get less.”

Pelletier believes towns should start working on the issue locally before similar actions are mandated at the state level.

There may be ways, he said, to offer services in combination. He mentioned the purchase of large pieces of equipment that towns need for work on roads and in fighting fires.

Most St. John Valley communities, no matter their size, have fire departments. They all have firetrucks and other pieces of large equipment. Pelletier believes many could share the equipment by ending barriers at town lines.

Ironically, St. Agatha and Frenchville started the process last winter by agreeing to get together to hire an economic development person for both communities.

The two towns now are advertising to hire one person who would be based at the St. Agatha town office. The person also would work, as needed, out of the Frenchville town office. Officials hope to have a person hired by the first of July.

Education is the biggest part of the budget for most small towns. While Pelletier is not proposing one large St. John Valley school district, he believes towns can look at education and possibly come up with a regional board for education.

“The governor is looking at municipal service districts – several towns as a supertown – to provide services,” Pelletier said. “There will be cash incentives for towns that get involved.”

In other business Tuesday, St. Agatha selectmen appointed Cindy Marquis to the SAD 33 board. She succeeds Terry Rossignol, who was re-elected to a three-year term in March but resigned for personal reasons.