Like many of her neighbors, Garden Grove resident Barbara Anderson says she's fed up with city and county government and proclaims wholehearted support for the concept of the year: restructuring.

But mention one downsizing proposal under consideration--disbanding her city's Fire Department in favor of contract service from the county fire authority--and Anderson's zeal wanes.

"I think we have a good Fire Department. I don't see the purpose of messing with it," she said warily. "I don't think people will look on that as a good idea."

Anderson's response underscores the delicate task facing reformers as they set out to crash some of the walls--and egos--that have long prevented cities, special districts and the county from working together in the name of greater efficiency.

Some cities have embraced the idea of sharing costs and responsibilities for a host of municipal services ranging from curbside recycling to jail bookings.

Now the approach is receiving more attention in the wake of the county bankruptcy, which left many agencies with tight budgets and a public mandate for reform.

Experts say that governments can save substantial sums by taking advantage of economies of scale and eliminating duplications in services.

But for restructuring to succeed, it must be sensitive to the concerns of residents, who are often skeptical of expanded bureaucracies and take comfort in having important services provided by officials they know and trust.

"Local control is big in Orange County," said Dennis Aigner, dean of the UC Irvine Graduate School of Management, who has studied county government reform.

"But people have to realize that local control can only be paid for to a certain point," Aigner said. "We can't afford it anymore. We have to give up some local control to get a more efficient government."

City and county leaders are addressing that fact with a flurry of restructuring plans. While the proposals differ sharply as to which entities keep the most control, they all acknowledge the need to foster greater innovation and cooperation among governments.

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Later this month, for example, a citizens committee appointed by the Board of Supervisors will unveil specific recommendations for consolidating services and making local governments work better.