After the strong interest in and turnout for the Bond Election Advisory Task Force’s town hall meetings last year, the group has scheduled four opportunities for public testimony on the bond development program. The third one is today, Jan. 17, at the Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex, 1156 Hargrave St., at 6:30 p.m. Check out the bond development program website here for more information about the development process and what’s on the table for a possible 2018 bond.

The city’s Innovation Office and Communications and Technology Management Department have partnered with the Austin Tech Alliance for a new program to reduce and eliminate paper usage in city operations. Known as Paper Census, the partnership will use people and resources from Austin’s tech sector to take an inventory of paper processes and nondigital media through the city government and solicit community feedback on how to improve access to services while creating ways to modernize and digitize city services. Full details of the partnership will be announced at a press conference at 9:30 a.m. Thursday in the media room at City Hall.

At its most recent meeting, the Historic Landmark Commission initiated historic zoning on the West Sixth Street Bridge over Shoal Creek. According to Historic Preservation Officer Steve Sadowsky, the bridge was built in 1887 and is almost entirely intact, in terms of its substructure. The Shoal Creek Conservancy is spearheading the campaign to designate the bridge as historic, noting that it is one of Texas’ oldest masonry arches. It is also located at the site of Austin’s very first bridge. Though already on the National Register of Historic Places, a city designation will help get grants to restore the bridge. “It’s an incredible bridge, it really is,” said Commissioner Terri Myers. “The best way to see it is from Hut’s Hamburgers restaurant. Get a seat by the window. I have lived here for almost 30 years and I had never seen it.”

District 6 City Council Member Jimmy Flannigan and the West Austin Chamber of Commerce have recently been working to create a Four Points Task Force. Now, residents of the Four Points community, as well as people who work in the area, are invited to two meetings to determine the direction and priorities of the group. The first meeting is on Monday, Jan. 22, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at Concordia University’s Incubator for Innovation & Impact, 11400 Concordia University Drive, Building B. Lunch will be provided at this meeting. The second one is on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 7-8:30 p.m., at the Holiday Inn Express Austin NW, 8300 N. FM 620, Building 1, and refreshments and dessert will be provided. RSVP here. Those who can’t attend the meetings may provide input with this survey by Jan. 31.

A National Weather Service Winter Storm Warning is in effect from midnight until 6 p.m. today, Tuesday, Jan. 16. All city of Austin government facilities will be closed, including Austin municipal courts and the downtown community court. City services such as trash, recycling and yard trimmings collection may be delayed. Check here for updates.

The Austin-Bergstrom International Airport may be experiencing delays as well. Flight status can be monitored on the ABIA website here.

Capital Metro is offering limited bus service and will operate on its Sunday schedule. MetroRail and MetroExpress will not be running. Car2go services were suspended beginning at 10 p.m. Monday.

The following city and county offices are also closed:

• Bastrop County and city offices
• Burnet County and city offices
• Caldwell County offices
• Dripping Springs city offices
• Hays County offices
• Llano County and city offices
• Pflugerville city offices
• Round Rock city offices
• Williamson County offices
• New Braunfels city offices will open at 10 a.m.

Austinites are advised to avoid traveling unless “absolutely necessary.” Those who have to commute to work in the morning should be aware of road crews, service trucks and possibly slick conditions. Plan for delays, be cautious and avoid hard braking. In addition, be mindful when walking, as flat surfaces on porches, driveways and sidewalks can be icy. Stay safe and warm out there! Updates will be posted on the city’s website. Information can also be found on ATXN Channel 6 and by calling 311.

All classes and activities at the following schools and districts are canceled today, Jan. 16, because of the wintry weather. All offices are closed as well.

• Austin Can Academy
• Austin Community College
• Austin Independent School District
• Bastrop ISD
• Blanco ISD
• Burnet ISD
• Comal ISD
• Concordia University
• Del Valle ISD
• Dime Box ISD
• Dripping Springs ISD
• Eanes ISD
• Elgin ISD
• Fayetteville ISD
• Flatonia ISD
• Florence ISD
• Fredericksburg ISD
• Georgetown ISD
• Giddings ISD
• Granger ISD
• Harper ISD
• Hays CISD
• Hutto ISD
• Jarrell ISD
• Johnson City ISD
• La Grange ISD
• Lago Vista ISD
• Lake Travis ISD
• Leander ISD
• Lexington ISD
• Liberty Hill ISD
• Lockhart ISD
• Luling ISD
• Manor ISD
• Marble Falls ISD
• Mason ISD
• New Braunfels ISD
• Pflugerville ISD
• Prairie Lea ISD
• Rockdale ISD
• Round Rock ISD
• San Marcos Academy
• San Marcos CISD
• Smithville ISD
• St. Edward’s University
• Taylor ISD
• Texas A&M (all campuses)
• Texas State University (San Marcos and Round Rock campuses)
• Thrall ISD
• University of Texas at Austin
• Wimberley ISD

Thanks to Richard Linklater’s decades-old love letter “Slacker,” Austin has coasted by with a reputation for being completely chill. Ironically, when the mercury drops below freezing, the city loses its collective mind. Thus it is that while other communities to our far more frigid north will go about their Tuesdays as usual, the threat of subzero (Celsius) temperatures is creating a four-day weekend for many folks here in the capital city. In particular, the Travis County Commissioners Court has postponed its regular voting session in deference to Old Man Winter. In an email, the county’s spokesperson left open the possibility that the court may take up this week’s agenda on perhaps Wednesday or Thursday. Stay tuned!

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and that means a number of local offices and services are closed in its observance. Today’s Austin Monitor is a bit shorter, and we will return to regular publishing tomorrow, on Tuesday. City of Austin administrative offices and other municipal facilities will be closed today. These closures include libraries, museums and recreation centers. Trash and recycling collection will not be impacted. The MLK Community March begins at 9 a.m. More details are available online here.

On Sunday, Mayor Steve Adler officially launched his bid for re-election at Saengerrunde Hall. Adler announced his campaign to a full house that he said he didn’t anticipate, after introductions by Julian Castro, state Rep. Celia Israel, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, state Sen. Kirk Watson and Planned Parenthood’s Robbie Ausley – who were joined by a number of elected officials including sitting Council members Ann Kitchen, Jimmy Flannigan and Pio Renteria. “It means a lot to me that we have all gathered here today,” said Adler, who explained what he called the Austin Paradox: “We must fiercely, seriously and unabashedly continue to move forward. And part of that requires us to actively preserve what we love about this city,” he said. “Austin is a magical place.” In his speech, Adler said he would continue to fight “political threats” from state and federal governments, which he said are as serious as the issues of affordability and mobility in Austin. In addition to touting the accomplishments of the past year, he also looked toward the future. Adler said that Austinites could work together, and listen to each other, to get a new Land Development Code. He also vowed to expand the Austin Convention Center and said he would work to find solutions for homelessness and poverty and ways to boost the music industry and aid historic preservation. “The old paradigm in this city of who is against who, and who is on the opposite side, is an old way of doing things in this city,” he said. “And we can choose to move forward.”

With the South by Southwest festival now less than two months away, it’s time to start minding the calendar for the deadlines related to applying for the various permits required to hold special events around the city during the festival, which runs March 9-18. The Austin Center for Events is encouraging event organizers to submit their applications as soon as possible, with the following lead times:

• multiday (max of four) amplified sound permits must be submitted 30 days prior
• single-day amplified sound permits must be submitted 21 days prior
• temporary change of use permits also must be submitted 21 days prior
• temporary use permits need 10 days’ advance submission

Applications and the finer details of the various permits are available at www.austintexas.gov/citystage and questions can be directed to specialevents@austintexas.gov.

There is some question as to whether the city’s long-brewing Special Events Ordinance will be approved prior to what is referred to as “spring festival season” around City Hall. That ordinance was given its second reading and appeared headed toward approval in 2014 and has been in a sort of limbo ever since. City staff are now gathering public feedback on the current draft ordinance, and City Council members have shown frustration over the delay in implementing new rules for how the city manages and oversees large gatherings around the city.

District 2 City Council Member Delia Garza is holding a town hall meeting this Wednesday, Jan. 17, from 6 to 8 p.m. Topics to be discussed include constituent access to child care and health care and the potential 2018 bond election. There will also be district-specific updates, as well as an overview of various city resources. The meeting will be held at the Pleasant Hill Library, 211 E. William Cannon Drive, and Spanish-language information will be available. Contact constituent liaison Brenda De Leon-Duron at 512-978-2141 or Brenda.deleon@austintexas.com with questions.

Think you’d be interested in CodeNEXT but wish learning about it was just a little more entertaining? Know what goes great with Land Development Code discussion? Legos! Join the Austin Monitor, Glasshouse Policy, Downtown Austin Alliance and Austin Board of Realtors for a CodeNEXT Game Night, where you’ll use a fun, interactive Lego-based game to learn hands-on about the interplay of population growth, land availability and pricing. There will be food too! Next Wednesday, Jan. 17, head to Lustre Pearl East, 114 Linden St., from 6-8 p.m. And don’t forget to RSVP, here, as space is limited.