City councils in Regina and Saskatoon are asking the province to extend the time between municipal elections to four years.

Currently voters in urban municipalities vote every three years, but councils in both cities say adding an extra year makes more sense.

Saskatchewan Municipal Affairs Minister Jeremy Harrison said he's willing to talk about it. "We're happy to go through the consultation process and maybe look at some innovative ways of addressing this," he said.

However, it's not the first time the province has looked at the issue.

The Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association brought a similar resolution to the government in 2008, although a consensus couldn't be reached at that time, Harrison said.

Regina Mayor Pat Fiacco says there is even more demand for change now.

"There is a financial benefit, he said. "Maybe not initially in the first two elections, but by the time the third election hits, you will have saved up to $500,000, minimum."

Fiacco now plans to talk to other municipalities, and will keep lobbying the province.

Ken Rasmussen, a professor of public administration at the Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, says he does't expect a lot of resistance on the issue.

"I think that the original reason they would be at three years apart in some sense is to de-couple them from provincial elections, which is generally a four-year cycle."

Now that the province is on fixed election dates, four years apart, it shouldn't be an issue, Rasmussen said.