Austin City Council members are facing tough decisions, and they'll only get tougher.

However, members made modest and prudent suggestions for funding requests to the Hormel Foundation.

Will all of the requests receive funding? Probably not. City council member Dick Chaffee made a point that the stock market's unstability (and poor performance) could very well be a sign that the city shouldn't get its hopes up to receive funding for every request.

Even Mayor Bonnie Rietz agreed and said that's why the council and the mayor come to an agreement on funding priority for the projects.

All of the projects the city identified for funding are worthy of consideration. However, the council understands that we're not in the best of economic times right now. As such, projects that aren't in dire need of funding may not get the dollars they deserve.