Daniel Zuckerman is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media town of Durham officials have identified "dozens of areas" where services could be combined and result in savings. Durham Town Supervisor William Carr Jr. and the board Tue., Aug. 15, identified 40 to 45 areas where services could be shared. Among the ideas proposed: IT work could be consolidated with the Cairo-Durham Central School District, and the Durham and Cairo town boards have agreed to jointly purchase a stone chipper. Town officials have also considered purchasing health insurance as a group with other towns countywide to save money. Under the state's shared services initiative, local and county governments statewide have been tasked to look at ways to consolidate services as a cost-savings measure. The Greene County Legislature must make a decision on a consolidation plan by Sept. 15. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.