The mayor of Port Hawkesbury says he's disappointed with the unwillingness of neighbouring municipalities to talk about amalgamation.

Billy Joe MacLean said when he proposed looking into the idea during a recent mayors and wardens meeting, he was turned down outright.

Even so, he said it's time rural municipalities such Inverness and Richmond counties consider at least sharing some costs with Port Hawkesbury.

"I just feel that our population is shrinking, our costs are increasing, we'd have better ways of planning, better marketing," he said.

MacLean said he's long been interested in looking into the benefits of cost sharing, and possibly amalgamation. Recently, his council asked him to extend a formal invitation to his counterparts in the area.

Richmond County Warden Victor David will say only that he has to run the proposal by his council.

"There was no yes or no, or throw it in the garbage, on it," he said. "It's 'We'll have a look at it.'"

But MacLean said that's not the impression he got at the mayors and wardens meeting.

"I didn't have an armoured suit on, but maybe I would have needed it," he said, adding any talk of amalgamation was immediately rejected out of hand.

The long-time mayor said with similar conversations being held in other parts of the province, he doesn't understand the reluctance to even discuss it.

"I think we're behind the times," he said. "And the day that you stop talking is the day that you're not really moving your people ahead."

MacLean said there was unanimous support to talk about opportunities for sharing municipal services. He said that could include everything from recreation facilities to garbage removal.

He hopes to arrange the first of those meetings by mid-February.