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169 Ms. Daugherty said she feels the Extension Service needs to better explain their services to the City, and Ms. Slaughter said they should better publicize the services they offer to City residents. Responding to a question from Ms. Slaughter, Ms. Peacock said that funding for the 911 Center has reduced because this is the first year the E-911 surcharge funds will be used for some of the operational cost. Ms. Richards said that the Professional Firefighters Association maintains that there is a need for more fire personnel now, and asked if the City is meeting current regulations. Mr. O'Connell said that most of the staffing problems, while somewhat theoretical, are more likely to occur in the County, and relate to the number offirefighters that must be present at a fire. Mr. O'Connell said that staff are taking a comprehensive look at fire services and he thinks staffing changes should be deferred until that study is finished. Ms. Peacock explained that the City/County budget committee supported increased funding for Legal Aid, Free Clinic and the Piedmont Housing Alliance, though they were not included in the proposed budget. Ms. Peacock explained that JAUNT and the Independence Resource Center propose to offer night and weekend transportation services, and staffrecommend that this be funded out of the user side subsidy. Responding to a question from Mr. Cox, Ms. Peacock said that funding for JABA's Senior Center on Market Street was not recommended by the City/County budget committee for funding because it felt that establishing a second senior center was counter-productive, and because it was felt that County residents would not use it because of its location. Mr. Cox asked why JABA's request should not be funded if not doing so will jeopardize their operation. Ms. Slaughter explained that this is an issue Council has struggled with for years, wanting to improve services for the elderly but also needing to be prudent in expenditures. Ms. Slaughter noted that Council wrote JABA after the special permit was approved for the Senior Center, indicating that approval of the permit did not mean increased funding for the Center. Ms. Richards said she would consider making a one-time contribution to JABA's Market Street site. Ms. Slaughter questioned the wisdom of not incorporating the Book Festival into the budget since it is successful. Ms. Peacock explained that staff felt that if the Book Festival is supPorted financially it should be funded out of the tourism budget. Ms. Peacock also noted that there are other festivals in similar situations and funding them would be a policy decision for Council. Ms. Peacock noted that a late request had been made by the Historic Resources Task Force for $2,000 for historical markers. Ms. Slaughter suggested that this request be funded out of the capital budget, but Ms. Peacock said that the amount was generally too small for capital funding. It was agreed that Councilors would indicate which under or unfunded agencies and program modifications they would like to discuss at the next work session, and any items mentioned by at least two Councilors would be placed on the agenda for discussion. The meeting was adjourned. President ~ -