Other residents said they felt surrounded by socialists and that the city should cut almost all its services. Others still said they were having to cut family budgets and the city should strive to do the same.

Midvale on Tuesday night enacted a tax increase of about 12 percent, but its increase to the average home was just more than half that of Riverton's, at $35. The city is grappling with decreasing sales-tax revenues and has yet to receive income from a large, transit-oriented housing and retail project on formerly toxic soil.

West Valley City's elected leaders took a middle road on the city's proposed tax increase, choosing to fund the budget shortfall. The city had considered a proposed 11.6 percent increase. It chose to fund about $1.1 million of its shortfall through a rainy-day fund.

West Valley is being forced by the courts to refund a few businesses in the city the $1.1 million, said Aaron Crim, city communications manager. It also is struggling with decreases in private property valuations and wants to increase some services.

West Valley will have to resubmit its budget to the county to get a final percentage increase and budget total, Crim said.

Salt Lake City also went through a state-mandated truth-in-taxation hearing Tuesday night, although the city's 2008-09 budget was approved without a tax increase.

State law required the hearing because city officials began the budget process using the previous year's property-tax revenue as its expected revenue for 2008. Revenue generated by the city from property taxes was $2.1 million higher than budgeted the previous year.

For the city to maintain the $46.6 million in property-tax revenue from 2007, its tax levy needed to exceed the state-certified rate.

In addition to the municipalities, several organizations such as the water districts, school districts and special service districts have voted to increase property taxes. Each organization was required to hold a series of well-advertised public hearings.

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