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If you have any ideas for saving your city’s budget, now’s the time to raise your voice. And if you’re a city government that’s been chafing at the restrictions of state law, here’s your chance to ask for a little more freedom.

Sen. Jack Hatch told the Metropolitan Advisory Council (MAC) last week at the Statehouse: “All four caucuses (both parties in the Senate and the House) want to hear your ideas. We’re not going to solve this in a partisan way; we need to solve it in an Iowa way.”

And he went on to say, “The budget may force us to rethink giving you authority to do things.”

In this economy, that will have to serve as a silver lining.

The council of Central Iowa city leaders usually meets once a month, but held extra sessions in October to deal with current and looming budget issues. That was in reaction to Gov. Chet Culver’s announcement of a 10 percent cut in the state budget.

At last week’s MAC meeting, it was announced that a smaller group would decide which budget-related ideas make the most sense, then report back to the entire council by the end of November. That will leave a couple of months for coordination with legislators before the January session.

The final budget numbers don’t exist yet, because the state’s Revenue Estimating Conference will make its final projections in December. There’s really no point in waiting, however. The projections are not going to turn rosy by then.

Hatch noted that “It’s a great time to talk about merging of services” by different governmental bodies. He said it’s no time to raise taxes and added, “There’s an argument to reduce taxes at a time like this.”

Cities can cut expenses or seek new income. Asked whether it’s worth pursuing alternative revenue sources, Hatch offered modest encouragement. He was clear, however, that legislators want to know what state-level changes the cities think will work. “We will not make the decision alone,” he said.