COVINGTON -- Alleghany County and Covington officials charged with coming up with a way to merge the two localities into a single jurisdiction killed a proposal Monday night to let voters choose between a city or county form of government.

Covington Vice Mayor Rob Bennett had proposed a multiquestion referendum. Voters in both localities would first be asked if they wanted to consolidate. A second question would have asked them to state their preference for either a city or county form of government.

The suggestion was Bennett's way of trying to break a logjam on the consolidation committee -- composed of three members of the Covington City Council and three members of the Alleghany County Board of Supervisors. The committee met Monday night in Covington.

"We never really anticipated the gridlock we're experiencing," Bennett said. "We're really having a difficult time coming up with one choice."

Committee members rejected the multiquestion referendum, saying they instead intend to put a single proposal before voters and ask them to give a thumbs up or a thumbs down.

Voters in the two jurisdictions submitted a petition in October demanding a consolidated government, and officials from the two governments have been working since January to come up with a plan.

The petitions started a one-year clock ticking on the consolidation process: If the governments don't come up with a plan by Oct. 24, then the Alleghany County Circuit Court could move to resolve matters.

On Monday night, the lawyer for the petitioners, Harwell Darby of Roanoke, said that those who petitioned for consolidation are prepared to ask the court to step in after Oct. 24. "I was told to tell you we're not going to give you any more time," he told the committee.

Though consolidation committee members have come to an agreement on some issues, such as roads, schools and electoral districts, they remain far apart on others. Most significantly, they haven't agreed on what single question to place before voters.

The question most likely will be either "Do you want to consolidate as a city?" or "Do you want to consolidate as a county?"

In May 2008, a study paid for by the nonprofit Alleghany Foundation suggested that the region's struggling economy could save more than $7 million annually if the county, its two towns -- Clifton Forge and Iron Gate -- and Covington consolidated into one government. Local officials have said the anticipated cost savings may be overstated.