You could say it was wake up call for Waynesboro's City Council. It recently discovered it's the only local municipality in the Valley to not fund the non-profit group, Blue Ridge Legal Services.

Balancing the budget has meant leaving certain charities out of it and there are about 40 to 50 non-profits this year asking the council for money.

One of them is an adult day care center which says it has never received money from the city.

"We are trying to help families keep their loved ones at home but provide a place to bring them so they can be active and be with their peers while family members are working or need a rest," explained Terry Team of the Daily Living Center.

To cover those residents who cannot afford this much-needed break, the Daily Living Center is asking Waynesboro's City Council for $2000.
That request is not in the City Manager's proposed budget, but the council now has added the center to its potential add list, in addition to a few others.

This non-profit is just one chapter in a bigger story about city council's conflicting thoughts on funding charitable groups.

"Many of these non-profits provide a service which is needed in the community, that if it weren't here, it would be a detriment to the community and the City Council needs to take some sort of responsibility to ensuring that these things are available for our citizens," said Mayor Thomas Reynolds.

"I think that shouldn't be government's job to give to charities, but if we are going to do it, try to do it in a fair manner and the way we are doing it now is not fair," explained Councilman Frank Lucente.

That's because he said the council arbitrarily picks which charities get funds and which do not. Lucente is working on a way to give everyone an equal piece.

The center said Staunton is slated to give money just like it did last year, while Augusta County is not.