On Monday Mayor Scott Avedisian of Warwick and Mayor Allan Fung of Cranston announced that the two cities may be merging some services in an attempt to save much needed funds. Services that may be combined are fire dispatch, senior services, animal control, and information technology in schools. The cities are still in the early stages of creating a balanced and mutually beneficial system. Mayor Avedisian explained that the combination could mean a total consolidation of services or one city being charged with managing one program, while the other city is in charge of another. One obstacle may be the Cranston City Council, which must approve this merger, while Warwick does not need such approval. One obvious negative aspect of this proposal is the likelihood that lay-offs may happen for those performing duplicate positions.
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Cranston and Warwick May Merge Services