A member of the city’s Pedestrian Advisory Committee is beginning a campaign to push the city to relax its rules and regulations for organizing block parties, which came under a new permitting process last year. Adam Greenfield, the committee member who also leads the Streets for All open space activism group, has gathered more than […]
Special Events Ordinance
Ordinance to create a streamlined special event permitting process.
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Alternatives to hissing
Instead of hissing… On Saturday, the city held a public meeting to discuss the draft Land Development Code, which City Council is scheduled to vote on today. How did it go? In a nutshell: 392 Austinites spoke on the draft code at the special called Saturday Council meeting. Of the 700 people who signed up […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Task force seeks balance for new special events ordinance
The city’s new Special Events Task Force has opted to take a real-world case study approach to gauging the effects of the recently enacted ordinance governing special events of all sizes around the city. The 11-member group, which also includes 11 ex-officio members, held its first meeting last week. Members decided to organize into six […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Special events ordinance on pace for April 2019 implementation
After six years of drafts and revisions, it appears Austin’s long-brewing special events ordinance will go into effect in April 2019, giving event producers during spring festival season – cityspeak for South by Southwest and spring break – another year to plan for the changes. At Tuesday’s meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board, representatives […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Six years gone: Music Commission again asks Council to halt special events ordinance
The Austin Music Commission has asked City Council to put on hold nearly six years of work on updating and revamping of the city’s regulations covering special events. At Monday’s meeting, the commission approved a resolution that calls the current draft of a new special events ordinance too vague, with too many of the rule-making […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Events ordinance approaching completion, with rules TBD
It appears that the city’s ordinance to manage the thriving and lucrative special events industry in Austin is finally about to become a working part of local code. City Council is expected to have a third reading and final approval of the ordinance at its May 10 meeting, nearly five years since officials first began […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Why not?
Wrestling with a tough decision… Austin’s chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America party scored a significant boost this weekend when Council Member Greg Casar agreed to sign up as an official member. The District 4 representative spoke at a DSA town hall on Friday evening alongside national health care activist and Party World Rasslin’ […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Special Events Ordinance could see final approval in October
Staff at the Austin Center for Events will continue working on the city’s long-delayed Special Events Ordinance, despite a push from some City Council members to make the policy official by the end of the month. Council ended up approving the second reading of the 31-page ordinance by a 9-0 vote, with Council members Delia […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Special events could see added fees, scrutiny to lower city’s price tag
Organizers of many of the more than 800 special events held in Austin every year are likely to see increased costs and oversight in the years to come, especially for large-scale events that require street closures and place other significant demands on city infrastructure. A new report from the city’s Financial Services Department, Management Services […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment, Parks
Special events ordinance re-emerges
With ACL in the rearview mirror, the Trail of Lights just ahead and the city’s South by Southwest Music Festival already on the horizon, Austinites may be wondering what has happened to the special events ordinance that was supposed to improve how such events are handled by the city. The draft set of rules and […]
Posted inLocal Politics, Music & Entertainment, Public Safety
Ott: Staff readying large-event recommendations
As part of next year’s budget process, city staff will bring forward a set of recommendations that could change the way the city deals with fees and permits for Austin’s many special events. In what could mark something of a policy shift, City Manager Marc Ott said in a memo that “one of the key […]
Posted inLocal Government
Austin Monitor Radio, Show 19
Monitor publisher Mike Kanin is joined by SXSW brand development honcho Brad Spies to talk about a range of topics related to the festival. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/171244467″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]