Many Utah Valley families are finding that an economic slowdown provides a great incentive to jettison extra expenses -- and cities and school districts now have that wonderful opportunity.

Unfortunately, some municipalities want to raise taxes. They ought instead to be looking at ways to trim the fat.

Wednesday will bring similar hearings in other cities. The tax rate increases being pondered include:

• Elk Ridge, a $79 annual tax hike on a $250,000 home;

• Mapleton, a $182 increase on a $350,000 home;

• Saratoga Springs, a $293 rise in the levy on a $350,000 home.

Provo School District and Nebo School District have also looked at boosting taxes.

Raising taxes, however, shouldn't even be on the table for most local taxing bodies. We'd guess that during recent years when the economy boomed, local governments felt free to boost staff and take on big projects or add services.

But as a retreating tide will reveal a lot of flotsam and jetsam on the beach, the sputtering national and state economies will expose the extras, if only one takes a look.

Saratoga Springs, to its credit, trimmed a 2008-2009 budget shortfall first estimated at $3.5 million to less than half that. Among the steps: cost cutting in all departments except for public safety; trimming the tab for city celebrations; cuts or delays in road projects; wage and hiring freezes; and the elimination of 14 full-time and four part-time positions.

American Fork trimmed a proposed tax increase of 40 percent to less than 10 percent by paring a "wish list" of city projects down to just one -- repairing streets.

So it can be done. And we wouldn't be surprised if even deeper cuts could be made in those towns and others with no fatal harm.

If officials can't find anyplace to cut, they can draw on a pool of experts who can give them hints: local residents. Most of them have spent a lot of time the past few months looking over their own expenditures and looking for ways to save money.

Here's a good example of what happens with public input: Mapleton had been considering a tax increase for a library, but city leaders asked residents to weigh in. "So far, all the comments we have received have been opposed to the expenditure," Mayor Laurel Brady said in the latest city newsletter. "I don't see any way the council will vote to fund the library with such overwhelming opposition."

Today's financial realities should also spur innovation. Mapleton deserves applause for the clever move of having garbage bins collected only on one side of the street, making collections easier -- and cheaper. There must be dozens of ways each city in Utah Valley can operate with greater financial efficiency. All that would take is a determination to look at city operations in a fresh light.

A side benefit of financial jitters is an urge toward better management. For instance, in Saratoga Springs, one council member said the council had been "blindsided" by the looming fiscal crisis when told of it in May.

Why didn't the council know or suspect this earlier? The answer may be in one of those improvements: From now on, city staff will give the council monthly budget updates.

Monthly updates? In today's world, any well-run small business provides its owners with weekly or daily updates on finances. In other words, the city council in Saratoga Springs has been basically flying blind for who knows how long.

It's another good bet that many other towns across the county have fallen behind in their business practices. The silver lining could be that the current fiscal troubles could be the kick in the pants they need to develop more efficient operations.

There's one more opportunity available here -- for taxpayers. Keeping costs in line is also their responsibility. And a tax hike doesn't have to be on the agenda. If you don't want one, you better speak up.

In Alpine, the council and mayor reportedly are mulling raising their own salaries. At the moment the picture is a bit murky, what with the mayor plotting the move privately with council members. Alpine residents should demand that this process take place in the public eye.

To give another example, on Aug. 26 a proposed pay hike for Lehi City Council members and the mayor will be discussed at a public hearing. We urge Lehi residents to attend the meeting, to use the telephone, send e-mails and generally grill the panel studying this proposal -- with emphasis on explaining (if they can) how the city, not its elected officials, would profit.

These times have their troubles, but also their opportunities. Area municipalities and school districts could come out of this with more efficient operations, but only if they scorn the crutch of tax increases and instead use this time to slim down their spending -- just as families are doing.