The city has activated a temporary hotline for media inquiries related to city operations during the South by Southwest festival and additional events, at (512) 974-9280. News media are encouraged to call this number with any questions regarding special event permitting and compliance, general public safety and other city-related issues. City public information staff will monitor the line from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. today and from 9 a.m. to 3 a.m. from Tuesday through Sunday. The city will distribute an advisory when the lines are deactivated.

The City of Austin will host its second Open Government Symposium on April 9, featuring legal experts discussing open government issues including legislation, litigation, trends and the role of an ethics and compliance program in supporting government transparency. The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at City Hall, 301 W. Second St. The symposium is free and open to the public, and attending attorneys can receive Continuing Legal Education credit. For a list of topics and to register, go here.

It’s not exactly in our usual sphere of coverage, and there are not any politics involved. But we just couldn’t resist telling you about the National Corn Dog Day celebration going on in San Marcos this Saturday. The event, sponsored by the San Marcos Main Street Program to coincide with the March Madness basketball tournament, will celebrate the humble, battered, deep-fried wiener on a stick with free corn dogs, tater tots, a 3-on-3 basketball tournament, as well as party favors and games for the family. The highlight of the day will, of course, be the annual Corn Dog Eating Contest. We prefer ours with yellow mustard, but others have been known to use ketchup, ranch dressing or even Tabasco sauce on theirs. The event is from noon to 4 p.m. on the grounds of the Hays County Courthouse on the square in downtown San Marcos. Go here for more information.

The city’s Small Business Development Program is planning a panel discussion on Entrepreneurship: Freelancing and Consulting. Ron Oliveira of Oliveira Public Communications will moderate the event. Scheduled panelists are Jim Comer of Comer Communications, Ilene Haddad of Ilene Haddad Graphic Design, and Kandi Cook of KC Couture Styles. They will discuss sales, production/service, billing and customer service. Attendees will also learn how to leverage networking opportunities and existing contacts, manage the work day and transition from having a boss to being the boss. The event is free, but online registration is required. Lunch will be provided. The event will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 31 at IBC Bank, Community Room, 2817 E. Cesar Chavez St.

City Council passed a resolution Thursday officially naming the Auditorium Shores trailhead deck Brent Grulke Plaza. Grulke was the first South by Southwest production manager and the music festival’s creative director for more than 20 years. He passed away in 2012 at the age of 51. Next Thursday at 5:30 p.m., SXSW will hold a dedication ceremony at the plaza. According to a statement from the organization, “It will be an evening highlighting Brent’s two simple rules: music is all and all are welcome.” More information about the dedication is available here.

On Thursday, City Council Member Greg Casar sponsored a resolution supporting the families of 43 missing students from the Rural Teachers College in Ayotzinapa, in Iguala, Guerrero, Mexico. As part of a national tour, the families are visiting Austin to raise awareness of the ongoing human rights crisis in Mexico. During March 18-20, members of the “Caravana 43,” which includes relatives of the missing students, will be in Austin to tell their story. The disappearance of the students five months ago has caused international outrage. In a statement to the media, Casar said, “This resolution shows that Austin supports these families and organizers fighting against human rights violations. … Iguala is no further from Austin than Atlanta. This is a crisis near our home.” Council passed the resolution unanimously. For more information on the Caravana 43, follow Austin with Ayotzinapa on Facebook. The group is slated to speak at a news conference March 19 at Austin City Hall.

Those of you who have been keeping a careful eye on the goings-on in Hays County may already be celebrating Groundwater Awareness Week in your own way. But for those of you at a loss, the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District has a whole host of activities. Officials suggest checking out wells, for a start. You can look up wells on the TCEQ water well report viewer. Or, you can preregister for the district’s free water well checkup, which will take place April 16. And there are also things to do for school-age children. Kids ages 9-15 can apply for summer Aquatic Science Adventure Camp, which is hosted by the Edwards Aquifer Research and Data Center at Texas State. High school juniors and seniors can submit essays about groundwater topics to qualify for a $2,500 scholarship. Teachers themselves are encouraged to sign up for the free “Groundwater to the Gulf Institute for Educators.” More information on that program is available here.

The operators of Austin B-cycle are planning for a bigger year at 2015’s South by Southwest. In 2014, Austin B-cycle recorded over 17,000 customer trips during SXSW and set a national bike-share record for the most checkouts per bike in a single day. This year, the group will be the official SXcycles program sponsored by Paramount’s Interstellar. There will be 46 B-cycle stations in operation, including a special station at the South Bites food court at Rainey and Driskell streets. Austin B-cycle will be offering a limited number of complimentary 24-hour B-cycle access passes for SXSW badge holders at the South Bites station. To handle the increased demand, there will be 100 more bikes in circulation than last year, and Austin B-cycle will staff the busiest stations to accept and make more bikes available. B-cycle officials say 24-hour access passes will be available at any station for $8 per pass. Seven-day access is available online at AustinBcycle.com for $25. You can find stations and real-time bike availability by downloading the free RideScout app.

City Council Member Ellen Troxclair has signed on as a co-sponsor to Council Member Don Zimmerman’s new resolution that would force the Code Compliance Department to pay a prevailing citizen when the department loses a case in Municipal Court. Zimmerman posted a resolution on the Council bulletin board last week that would direct the city manager to take money out of the Code Compliance Department budget to pay attorney’s fees for Austinites like Matthew Palmer, who was found not guilty by a Municipal Court jury. The department took Palmer to court over a fence he put around his recreational vehicle. Zimmerman found no co-sponsors for last week’s resolution. However, Troxclair signed on to the new proposal. They need two more co-sponsors to get the item on the Council agenda. Palmer continues to post stories on his Facebook page, That G*****n Fence, about other people who have had run-ins with the department.

Last week, the Texas Recreation and Parks Society designated Pease Park as a Lone Star Legacy Park at its annual Institute & Expo in Abilene, Texas. Currently, there are 27 designated parks in the state. Pease Park joins Zilker Park as the second park in Austin to receive the honor. City Council approved the Pease Park Master Plan in October 2014. The plan sets a long-term vision for the park, created through the cooperation of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department and the Pease Park Conservancy. Conservancy Executive Director Andy Gill issued the following statement: “We’re grateful that Pease Park was designated as a Lone Star Legacy Park, it’s certainly worthy of the honor. We all recognize that Austin is growing rapidly and as it does, it’s more important than ever to recognize and appreciate our City’s storied history. As we begin to make improvements recommended in the Pease Park Master Plan, we’ll be doing so in a way that not only improves the park for current and future patrons, but in a way that honors those who came before us.”

With a new document posted online, some blanks in City Council’s new committee meeting schedule were filled in Wednesday. Each Council committee will meet once a week, and unlike what was initially proposed, the meetings will not interfere with evening Boards and Commissions meetings. In alphabetical order: The Audit and Finance Committee will meet at 9 a.m. on the fourth Wednesday of the month; the Austin Energy Committee will meet at 9 a.m. on the fourth Thursday of the month; the Economic Opportunity Committee will meet at 2 p.m. on the second Monday of the month; the Health and Human Services Committee will meet at 4 p.m. on the first Monday of the month; the Housing and Community Development Committee will meet at 4 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of the month; the Mobility Committee will meet at 3 p.m. on the first Wednesday of the month; the Open Space, Environment, and Sustainability Committee will meet at 2 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of the month; the Planning and Neighborhoods Committee will meet at 4 p.m. on the third Monday of the month; the Public Safety Committee will meet at 4 p.m. on the fourth Monday of the month; and the Public Utilities Committee will meet at 3 p.m. on the third Wednesday of the month. More information, and a promise of more to come, can be found on the city’s website, here. There is no official word on when all of the committees will be up and running, but some meetings have been scheduled, and an Audit and Finance Committee meeting has already taken place.

It will either be a late celebration of New Year’s Eve or an early celebration of the arrival of spring — take your pick. The city was forced to cancel its annual New Year’s festival because of bad weather, so officials are planning a three-day series of alcohol-free, family-friendly events to celebrate the change of seasons. The “Step Into Spring” series, set for March 22, 25 and April 1, will feature bands, performers and hands-on activities. All events will take place at Mueller Lake Park in East Austin. Many of the performers had been scheduled for the New Year’s celebration. For more information, click here.