They don’t want to set deadlines and they don’t want to talk specifics, but one thing is certain – Mayors Allan Fung and Scott Avedisian are looking to consolidate services between Warwick and Cranston.

“Given the tough fiscal times that we are in, it is imperative that we pursue all savings opportunities,” said Fung in a release issued on Monday.

That same evening, Director of Administration Robin Muksian-Schutt addressed the City Council to inform them of the ongoing discussions between Cranston and Warwick.

“At this point, everything is very preliminary,” she said. “It’s going to take a huge amount of work, but there’s a lot of duplication of services in what are basically sister cities.”

The initial departments under consideration include senior services, transportation, information technology, animal control, fire dispatch and some library operations. Investigation into other departments is possible in time.

Fung said the discussion began with the retirement of former Senior Services Director Terry Murphy.

“That presented us with a chance to start the talks with Warwick to see whether or not we could consolidate from an administrative standpoint,” he said.

Noting that the term consolidation can often cause anxiety with residents who anticipate a reduction in services, the mayor said the cities are taking their time in looking at potential savings. In terms of a department like senior services, it would likely be only in administrative functions and not operational services.

“I don’t want anyone panicking at this point of what it is or what it isn’t,” Muksian-Schutt said. “Each department may have very different areas that can be consolidated.”

While the mayor speculated that senior services would be predominantly administrative, Muksian-Schutt said library services is a department where operational changes could be more likely.

Fung said it is too soon to tell when these types of changes might go into effect, but noted that department heads are being brought to the table consistently to gather feedback on what works and what would not.

“One of the things I want to let residents as well as the staff know is that we’re going to take our time. We need to make sure the efficiencies are there,” he said.

For fire dispatch, consolidation could include joining forces with East Greenwich as well as Warwick. Warwick teamed up with the town last year for waste collection and is currently talking to them about dispatch services. North Kingstown has also been brought to the table on that count.

Partnering with Warwick, Fung says, is particularly advantageous due to the cities’ similarities.

“One of the reasons I was so excited with Warwick was because of the demographics we both represent,” he said, citing similar sized populations and neighborhood make-up as areas where Cranston and Warwick are closely aligned. “I think we’re an ideal match to have these types of discussions.”

Avedisian agreed and said the partnership will reduce expenses and provide improved services to residents in both communities.

“Obviously, there is a lot to consider within each proposal, but we are committed to having these discussions to see where they lead,” the Warwick mayor said.

Consolidation in any of the departments currently under review would require City Council approval. At Monday’s meeting members seemed receptive to the idea.

“In this economy and these terrible, terrible financial times we are all facing, we have to look to regionalization and consolidation,” said Council President John Lanni Jr.

Ward 4 member Robert Pelletier agreed, noting that efforts could have been made long ago to consolidate services or departments.

“If we can’t get consolidation underway, we’re going to face a deficit again,” he said, listing human resources and payroll as other potential departments to look at. “You’re either part of the solution or you’re part of the problem.”

Pelletier sponsored a resolution this week to form a committee to examine consolidation of the IT department between municipal government and the schools in Cranston. School Committee member Janice Ruggieri introduced a sister resolution at her meeting last week.

“Maybe if we take a small step with one department we might start making some progress,” she said. “We’re really hoping we can get this done, and once we get this done we can start on the next.”

Although Ruggieri was originally shooting for a May 1 deadline for a committee recommendation, Pelletier’s resolution changed the timeline to give the committee a year to complete their work.

Both resolutions were passed unanimously, and Chief Financial Officer Joe Balducci said last week that it was a positive start to cooperation between the two sides of the city.

“It’s a very cumbersome task, but I think we’re going down the right path,” he said.

Fung said the city would compare IT consolidation with the schools as well as consolidation with Warwick and make a determination on the most efficient option. Nothing is off the table, he indicated, as Cranston continues in this early stage of examination.

“There really is no priority. It all depends on where the benefit is for the residents of Cranston,” he said. “We’re certainly not going to rush into anything.”