Northern councils on Wednesday said their participation in the state government-funded project, aimed at pinpointing resource-sharing opportunities, could also bring framework restructures.

It costs almost $72 million a year to fund the 864 full-time equivalent employees in the state’s eight Northern councils.

The figures, contained in the Auditor-General’s 2014-15 annual report, showed employees were paid an average of $80,500 a year.

George Town Mayor Bridget Archer said they were already operating under lower staffing numbers as a result of efficiency processes.

‘‘It’s essential for efficiencies to be made,’’ Cr Archer said.

‘‘We might be able to use shared services across councils, instead of every council having their own.’’

The push to identify resource-sharing opportunities is the initiative of Local Government Minister Peter Gutwein.

Meander Valley Mayor Craig Perkins and Northern Midlands Mayor David Downie said they believed councils had a mandate to operate with efficiency, including having appropriate staffing numbers.

‘‘There are a few things to do before we get to that process,’’ Cr Perkins said.

‘‘If we find opportunities along the way, and there are some quick wins, why wouldn’t you take advantage of them?’’

He said the council would discuss the benchmarking process during its general meeting this month.

Launceston City Council general manager Robert Dobrzynski said he believed the council had the right balance of staff to service about 100,000 people – 427 full-time equivalents at a cost of $37 million a year.

‘‘The City of Launceston is committed to continuous improvement and we are eager to find efficiencies in all aspects of our operations,’’ Mr Dobrzynski said.

‘‘It’s important to note that the council has recently undertaken a wide-ranging form and function review.

‘‘The Launceston municipality continues to enjoy a high quality of life and excellent facilities that the city provides and the council has an obligation to be responsible in managing costs so that our services are affordable.’’

He said the council’s participation in Mr Gutwein’s initiative was in the hope of starting an analysis and discussion regarding value-for-money services and a fairer level of rating.