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In a context of fiscal stress, reducing operating expenses appears to be a necessity today in French local authority organizations. However, it raises new issues that challenge the existing management paradigms in these organizations. This research studies how a few innovative municipalities are reducing their operating expenses, exploring the strategies implemented during the period 2014–2018 in ten municipalities of more than 50,000 inhabitants as part of money-saving programs. The results show that increasing efficiency is the preferred strategy for reducing these expenses, but that given the extent of the savings needed in the short term, these efforts are accompanied by cuts to services and grants.