Two pairs of local communities engaged in discussions to merge their fire departments should be a sign of things to come. About a year and a half after pulling out of a fire regionalization study with surrounding communities, Cortland and Bazetta officials are now talking about conducting their own. With one proposal in hand for a merger study involving the township and city departments, officials plan to look for others before deciding whether to go ahead with the idea. Meanwhile, Brookfield fire Chief Keith Barrett proposed a three-year contract with the Hartford Volunteer Fire Department to share services between the two townships. A second meeting between the two townships will be held Aug. 5. A recent report indicates that the cost of local government is rising faster here than elsewhere and faster than the rate of inflation. The same study also shows that we have more governmental units than most others. Those statistics go hand-in-hand. More government means more cost.