If sister cities Austin and Albert Lea have a mother, she must have taught them to share.

The two cities are discussing sharing the services of Finance Director Tom Dankert while Albert Lea completes its search for a new city manager; the move would also save the city of Austin $5,000 per month.

Although no formal action was taken at the City Council work session, council members and staff discussed the pros and cons of sharing Dankert’s time.

The main concern among members was Dankert’s well-being and ability to juggle the finances of two cities – both of which require focus on upcoming audits and reacting to cuts in Local Government Aid.

However, the council agreed to continue working with Albert Lea on the proposal to potentially implement a 6-month contract sharing Dankert’s services.

Unless the arrangement goes well and is extended to a permanent situation, Austin and Albert Lea will not evenly split the cost of employing Dankert. Instead, Austin would bill Albert Lea on an hourly basis for the time Dankert spends there. He would also receive a travel stipend for any Albert Lea-related traveling done outside of regular work hours.

Albert Lea Mayor Vern Rasmussen said he’s willing to test out the arrangement.

“It’s an opportunity for us to explore this and see how it goes,” he said. “If it works, it works. If it doesn’t, we’re okay with that too.”

Austin Mayor Tom Stiehm agreed, saying it puts a lot of responsibility on Dankert but could also benefit both cities if Dankert’s staff and other departments are willing to pick up extra duties.

“We’re looking at all the possible opportunities to shrink our budgets,” Albert Lea Interim City Manager Pat McGarvey said. “I really think this is a bold step if we should try to do it.”

As the council proceeds in weighing the pros and cons and setting guidelines with Albert Lea for shared services, members plan to keep in mind both cities’ needs and how to best fulfill them.

“We’d certainly like to share with our sister city,” Austin City Administrator Jim Hurm said. “But we need to make sure our needs are taken care of as well.”