BOSTON -- Falling oil prices may not bring relief from high gas prices in Massachusetts for quite a while. So some local towns are taking it upon themselves to reduce the pain at the pump.

NewsCenter Five's Kelley Tuthill reported Thursday that as we all struggle to cope with soaring gas prices, a local expert urges perspective. She said energy costs for gas and home heating only average 4 percent of a family's budget.

VIDEO: Towns Find Ways To Reduce Pain At Pumps

"As a percentage of our expenses, it's not as high as it has been in several decades," certified financial planner Susan Kaplan said.

Ahmed Rifai runs London Taxi, of Norwood. He and other companies are going before the selectmen to ask to permission to raise fares.

"To fill this car it's $80. It used to be $40," he said.

Norwood cabbies want a 50-cent raise -- the first such increase in a decade.

"I have a lot of drivers who don't want to drive. It's hurting us," Rifai said.

In Plymouth, the issue is take-home vehicles. Some selectman said it's a policy the city can no longer afford.

"I think when you look at it from the working man's perspective, every time the gas goes up these people are getting a pay raise," said Butch Machado, a Plymouth selectman.

The town will review the 10 employees who have take-home Crown Victorias. They include the fire and police chiefs and other emergency responders. That's just one possibility for saving money.

"We are doubling efforts and strategies to reduce fuel and energy costs," Plymouth Town Manager Mark Sylvia said.