If you're planning on doing some sort of event planning during SXSW but the recent announcements regarding sound permits and safety have left you with more questions than Dublin Dr. Pepper fans have tears, the City of Austin is teaming up with AMP to remedy your concerns (about Southby, not about soda). more ›

The City of Austin put out a press release yesterday saying that they "will change the application period for SXSW 24-hour and multi-day sound permit applications," and yes, those changes are effective immediately. Here is the gist: "There is now a 21-day pre-event deadline requirement to submit a 24-hour sound permit application, and a minimum 30-day deadline to submit multi-day sound permit applications." more ›

No, we're not talking an APD project to create Spartans (that would be MUCH cooler). This HALO, short for Higher Activity Location Observation, is a system of 24-hour eye-in-the-sky surveillance cameras with the ability to pan, zoom, and tilt. Four such cameras were activated Monday in areas along Rundberg Lane, positioned on telephone poles and at traffic lights. more ›

The City of Austin will soon be expanding the Dillo Dirt program. more ›

Soon enough, your never-fail top secret downtown parking space may be a thing of the past. The City of Austin is in the process of installing 44 signs on busy roads downtown to direct drivers to parking areas located off of major roads. The signs will lead to public parking facilities, as well as City facilities like City Hall and the Palmer Events Center. more ›

The City of Austin will be holding neighborhood meetings and public hearings starting tomorrow -- and is also accepting online comments -- regarding how the limited amount of funding Austin will get from HUD should be spent. This public input process is just one part of the annual report that the federal department requires each year before funds can be received. Programs the federal funds go towards include homeless services, small business assistance, homebuyer assistance, and more. The city receives funds from four different HUD grants, but expects the amount for FY 2011-12 to be reduced from past years. [SpeakUpAustin] more ›

The renaming of a solid waste services department isn’t normally very interesting. That is, unless it’s the City of Austin Solid Waste Services Department. In an attempt to showcase all the different services the department provides, the city has set up a forum for Austinites to vote on/suggest the new name. The current leader? Fred Durst Society of the Humanities and Arts. The deadline to place your vote is Thursday, February 10th at midnight. Hopefully Limp Bizkit will be available to play the ribbon-cutting ceremony. [City of Austin] more ›

In a city-wide survey set to close tomorrow, December 10th, the City of Austin is asking residents: “Which Way, Austin?” The survey, the final part in the development of Austin’s “Comprehensive Plan,” asks residents to envision Austin in 2030. Users are given five potential scenarios for development and then asked to rate the importance of everything from bikes and buses to green space to greenhouse gas emissions. more ›

In a meeting today, the City Council passed the final 2010-11 budget. Money that had been set aside for the annual Trail of Lights will instead go towards "unmet needs" for city parks. Councilmembers are not averse to having a private entity fund the holiday event, but the city won't be footing the bill. Also worth noting: this budget includes rate increases for water and energy, so your bills could go up about $5 a month. [Statesman] more ›

Needing to slash $11 million dollars in funding, the city of Austin reached out to the public in June, asking for Austinites' input on a variety of public services. In an online survey, Austin city officials asked participants to vote on services in order of importance. Theoretically, those that were deemed less crucial by the public would be cut. About 2,500 people spoke out, requesting a slash in funding for things like the Zilker Park Trail of Lights festival and payment to those who report for jury duty and don’t serve. more ›

Yesterday City Manager Marc Ott shared an outline for the proposed 2011 Fiscal Year budget with the City Council. more ›

Ten days before the the Austin City Council is scheduled to vote on an alleged $750,000 settlement for the shooting death of Nathaniel Sanders II last May, the Austin police union made its opinion known. more ›

Friday, word came that a tentative $750,000 settlement was reached between the family of Nathaniel Sanders II and the City of Austin. more ›

You may look up and see green one of these days. That's not an attempt at a Tony Robbins affirmation: you really may be seeing more green on rooftops around downtown Austin in the future. more ›

This Thursday, the Austin City Council will consider funding (up to $10,000) work between the University of Texas and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center to further research on vegetated rooftops and how they are affected by Austin's sporadic rainfall. more ›

City Manager Marc Ott and his staff have set up an online forum to gather public feedback on possible budget cuts in fiscal year 2011. The two forums: Potential Service Reductions and Unmet Service Demands. The highest votegetters in the possible reductions arena (at this point) are: no longer co-sponsoring community special events for free, no longer paying $6 to each person who shows up but isn't picked for jury duty, and halting the Trail of Lights festival. If you'd like to have even the slightest input into how the city continues to fund services (libraries, AFD, EMS, APD, etc.), it's worth participating in this attempt. Note: a Budget Input Forum will also be held at the Convention Center on June 15, 2010 from 6-9 p.m. [City of Austin] more ›

City of Austin will soon begin accepting applications from the community for its next CityWorks Academy. Limited to 30 participants, the Academy provides Austinites a hands-on, behind-the-scenes look at their city government. more ›

First the Austin City Council passed a measure to boycott Arizona, prohibiting its members from expensing trips there. Now it looks as though the city may reap the whirlwind—or at least some strong breezes. more ›

On the heels of Chief Acevedo's announcement as a finalist in the Dallas Police Chief search, the City of Austin has decided to fight to keep Chief Acevedo here. more ›

Mayor Lee Leffingwell said in a press release today that, contrary to what he promised voters in last year’s election, an urban light rail proposal will not be ready by its “overly ambitious” November 2010 deadline. more ›

The Aquatics Division of City of Austin is mulling over a plan to cancel free evening swims at Barton Springs after 9 p.m. If you'd like to weigh in, there's a public hearing tonight from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Aquatics Division office (400 Deep Eddy). The final decision is still a ways off, as the Aquatics staff must forward their findings to the Parks Department, which in turn will pass their decision on to City Council. Still, now's a good chance to let them know how you feel. You can also email them at aquaticsoffice@ci.austin.tx.us. more ›

After months-long discussions over how to counter an estimated $30 million revenue shortfall, the City Council yesterday voted unanimously to approve the final Fiscal Year 2010 budget. more ›

The new AISD Diane Gorzycki Middle School in southwest Austin will begin the school year on a green note. By later this week, Austin lawn might be a little brown. Falling lake levels have prompted the LCRA to demand additional water conservation steps from their wholesale customers. Beginning today, August 24th, and until further notice, Austin will begin enforcing stage two water conservation regulations. more ›

It’s a site Native Americans came to for healing and—perhaps more awesomely—where Robert Redford learned to swim. But the millions-year-old Barton Springs pool will be closing for six to eight months thanks to something frustratingly man-made: holes in the concrete bypass culvert. more ›

A City of Austin sponsored class that promises an insider’s view of local government along with hands-on experience will be offered beginning in September. It is a quick overview of Austin's 31 departments. The cost: a couple of hours of class time for 10 weeks. The instructors: Executive team members like the assistant managers, City staff, and Department Directors. The class is not only a reverse show-and-tell, but also an opportunity to find people who might be interested in serving later as volunteers. For example, here is one of the application questions: In what ways would you like to be a community leader in Austin in the next five years? And, for the skeptics out there, this should only cost the city around $2,500 in printing costs. more ›

Think you've got the chops to solve City of Austin's budget woes? They've put up a "Budget Simulation Exercise" that lists a slew of areas, from Library and Police to Watershed Protection and Health & Human Services, where sources of increased revenue are possible. The point of the exercise is to come up with at least $9.3 million in savings or new revenue, though even this falls well shy of the estimated $30-43 million shortfall that the current 2010 budget faces. more ›

In honor of Mayor Will Wynn's last day in office, Austinist compiled these top five lighter moments from his eight-year-long tenure. As News 8 reports, Wynn plans to stick around Austin and will be working for a Dallas-based energy firm, so, you know, you'll totes be able to hang out with him at Key Bar. more ›

Amidst a massive budget shortfall, City of Austin is considering whether or not to cancel this year's Trail of Lights at Zilker Park. more ›