Utah Valley cities are tightening their belts -- but they'd be well advised to poke a couple of new holes and be ready to make them even tighter.

Money from sales taxes and building permits has decreased, and municipalities used to a booming economy are trying to catch up to this new reality.

For example, in American Fork, sales tax revenue is down $350,000 and fees from building permits have dipped $140,000. City officials don't see how they can spare the $250,000 to pay fees for dumps, so the city's street sweepers have been dumping gravel and other junk in Art Dye Park. As for the park itself, finishing it would require the city to take out bonds.

The slump in sales tax proceeds has hit Orem especially hard. There the city has put on hold a plan for building a fourth fire station. In Provo, Mayor Lewis Billings proposed a budget that trimmed some benefits to city employees; they howled and municipal council restored a few.

Local governments must cast a critical eye on municipal spending this year. This means not only examining spending items but budget assumptions that have grown like barnacles on a boat.

One is the assumption that there are many things that cities "need." Some of these items are things officials merely want. A cold-eyed examination would reveal they aren't truly needed, at least not at the moment.

Another term to beware of is "long term savings." It's true that sometimes spending some money now might save money in the long run. But, as a famous economist once said, in the long run we are all dead. Often, it's more prudent to take care of immediate needs. No one has a crystal ball that can show what the future will bring.

Another axiom that should be discarded is the notion that the federal government will ride to the rescue -- despite recent evidence to the contrary in the housing arena. The federal budget is way more out of whack than that of any town in Utah Valley. The cavalry is not coming.

A common assumption in government is that it can just raise taxes when it gets into a tight spot. But that should be a last option, and only after taxpayers have had their say. In American Fork, for instance, the city plans November ballot questions asking whether the city should bond (read borrow) for various projects, including Art Dye Park. Putting such plans up for the taxpayers to judge is always the right choice.

But the council is also planning hearings on a hike in property taxes to fund positions such as code enforcement officer, library technician and parks employee. Residents should pressure city government to prove that these positions are absolutely essential right now.

What should government do? Ask the right questions. And the right question is not "Is this function desirable?" It is "Can the city get along without it?" If it can, then scrap it.

For years, every private business in the United States has been working relentlessly to cut costs and find better ways of doing things. City governments should do the same -- and they can.

Mapleton provided a good example when it asked half of the residents in selected neighborhoods to push their garbage cans to the other side of the street. That meant garbage trucks had to drive down just one side of the street.

Mapleton officials say the experiment has reduced costs by 30 percent. It's a simple thing, and places no undue burden on residents. All it took was a little creative thinking.

It's time to catch the recession spirit.

Do you agree?