Utah Valley residents should be on high alert for tax increases. Local governments have been piling them on and will continue doing so unless taxpayers fight back.

There are 600 local governments in Utah, including municipalities, school districts, counties and a slew of special districts. Published news reports say 81 of these bodies have raised property taxes this year.

With the economy hurting, it's plain that local governments will be feeling the pain for awhile. It's a good bet officials will be floating ideas for higher taxes and fees into 2009. Residents should eye requests for tax increases carefully. We're not saying all attempts to increase taxes are bogus, only that their justification must be scrutinized.

• "People are undertaxed for this service," an official might say. Well, maybe, but in most cases we have survived the supposed lack of revenue. Why play catch-up now?

• "Costs are going up." Which costs? Governments were wailing this summer when gasoline prices rose above $4 a gallon. That's understandable. But now gas has plunged to under $3. Yet we haven't heard local officials shouting: "What a relief! Our costs are going down, and we can cut taxes!" So it's useful to treat claims of rising costs with some skepticism.

• "We can't cut essential services." Well, what exactly qualifies as "essential," as opposed to merely good, desirable or admirable? Some things are wants, others are needs. This could be a golden opportunity to find out which are which. And it's likely that many so-called essential services can in fact be dispensed with or at least mothballed temporarily.

• "If we don't raise taxes, we'll have to cut funding to the Home for Widows of American War Heroes." This is a favorite ploy. When the demand comes for cuts, the bureaucrats often propose that the first sacrificial lamb be one of the truly essential projects, or one with a strong political base. That dampens enthusiasm for budget cuts. Taxpayers should see through this one, and encourage leaders to cut projects and endeavors that are relatively low on the priority list.

• "Revenue is down." OK, but it's down everywhere. And everybody should trim expenses -- government included.

• "We have to balance the budget." Of course. The only question is how to do it, and cutting expense is Job No. 1. The last thing many families need is a new financial demand. Turn the screws too tightly and more homeowners may have trouble paying their tax bills.

Yet, if taxpayers will need vigilance to thwart tax hikes, they should also stay alert for opportunities to do more on their own, with minimal help from government.

In Eagle Mountain, for instance, individuals and a private group have worked with the city to create what has been called the state's best full-service, public free ride mountain biking park.

The Wasatch Area Freeride Trail Association Inc., Eagle Mountain government and a local homeowners association teamed up to create the public park.

The city now owns the park land, said Eagle Mountain city administrator John Hendrickson. "We were able to work a land exchange, and the city paid a greenbelt rollback tax of $4,500," he said. "We got 4 acres for 4,500 bucks."

Volunteers have been working this fall on the park, which is expected to be finished in the spring. That kind of creative partnership should be applauded -- and imitated. The bike park shows that sometimes the best way to proceed is not to wait for government to do it all, but for individuals and groups to step up and take charge.

Many in Utah frequently call for government to get out of the way. The current economic slump could help push it out of the way. Then it's up to people and private groups to step up and show what they can do.

Do you agree?