Has Austin become more Vichy than Resistance? (Cleveland, Atlanta: tax return, law)

[10scoachrick]

OP, you stated:
"
I received a nasty little note in mail the other day from the City that a neighbor observed I was not in compliance with the Stage 1 water restrictions in place because I had the sprinklers running at 6AM.

Admittedly, this was my mistake and I reset them to run earlier so that they would be done by 5AM. "


I'm wondering where it is that you can water until 5AM but be turned in for sprinkling @ 6AM?

If multiple neighbors were 'ratted out' at the same time, perhaps the 'ratter' was looking to save effort/energy/confrontation by going to the authorities rather than wait for a convenient time to speak directly to a stranger and suffer the consequences thereof. Perhaps, it was NOT a neighbor; but someone in an official capacity following protocol. CoA has 'water police' visiting neighborhoods as well as acting on 'tips' from 'neighbors'.

[blueskies85]

I think Austin has gotten bigger, and more people=more jerks. More cool people too though. I'm not really sold on the whole idea of Austin being this former non-conformist paradise. If you were a black guy in the 70s, I don't think you'd find Austin to be shangri-la. By the 90s, everyone seemed to be complaining that it just wasn't the same anymore, too many people, too many Californians, etc. So when exactly did this paradise occur? In the 80s? I think with a lot of people it's more a nostalgia for their own youth than anything. With others, it's more an "I was here before it was cool" ego trip.

Also, what's up the judging people on first impressions thing? Oskar Schindler was a materialistic, greedy opportunist who cheated constantly on his wife, and look how that turned out. I've met dull, ignorant artsy looking people and dynamic, interesting 'Dallas" looking people. I do think your neighbor should have handled that better, but to me it doesn't signify any sort of trend.

[Komeht]

Originally Posted by 10scoachrick

I'm wondering where it is that you can water until 5AM but be turned in for sprinkling @ 6AM?

That would be the City of Austin.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by 10scoachrick

I'm wondering where it is that you can water until 5AM but be turned in for sprinkling @ 6AM?

See Austin Stage 1 Water Restrictions, which are currently in effect... you can water with a sprinkler system on your two assigned days of the week before 5 am or after 7 pm.

http://www.austintexas.gov/departmen...r-conservation

[10scoachrick]

Originally Posted by Komeht

That would be the City of Austin.

Originally Posted by OpenD

See Austin Stage 1 Water Restrictions, which are currently in effect... you can water with a sprinkler system on your two assigned days of the week before 5 am or after 7 pm.

Water Conservation | AustinTexas.gov - The Official Website of the City of Austin

Oops! My bad! I was thinking of the 10AM hose-end sprinklers cut-off the whole time.

If I drank coffee, I'd blame it on the lack of coffee.

A thousand pardons, y'all.

(Of course, it didn't help when, under Stage TWO restrictions, we could auto-water until 10AM on our ONE day; but only until 5AM under Stage ONE)

[PGHPA611]

Austin, Seattle, San Francisco, Miami, Manhattan, and so many others
I think like many "IN" Cities they attract so many affluent people that unfortunately what made them hip and cool becomes no more.... You see when the money moves in, the cool moves out !!!
Fortunately For Me
America's Best Kept Secret
Is Cooler than Cool
I dont want to mention the city pictured above
We like staying under the radar in a stealth mode
Good Luck

[HappyTexan]

Originally Posted by PGHPA611

Austin, Seattle, San Francisco, Miami, Manhattan, and so many others
I think like many "IN" Cities they attract so many affluent people that unfortunately what made them hip and cool becomes no more.... You see when the money moves in, the cool moves out !!!
Fortunately For Me
America's Best Kept Secret
Is Cooler than Cool
I dont want to mention the city pictured above
We like staying under the radar in a stealth mode
Good Luck

Yeah, I agree. When the money moves in is when you start to see the change to "Anytown, USA".

[verybadgnome]

It raises the same issue as personally confronting anyone over a code compliance issue. They just may not care about the rules and tell you to get the hell off their property. From then on you are the bad guy on the street - "what right has that guy have telling me what I can or can't do on my property?" My old neighbor in South Austin who once got caught impersonating a cop, do you think I'm going to try to reason with him? That crazy old redneck would shoot first and ask questions later. Same thing with the drug dealer two doors down. Sorry anonymity is the way to go unless you are already friends with your neighbor. Your beef is with the rule-makers and not the tipper.

City of Austin code compliance is a reactive entity. They have to be told that your neighbor's grass is 2 feet tall, that there is a pit bull wandering the streets, and that you aren't abiding by the water rules. I wish they would be more proactive, like in the case of the apartments with the balconies collapsing, but as it is now this is the best system we have.

And I don't have you problem because I have hardscaping, which is much more prudent than constantly watering a grass species not intended for the climate of Central Texas. Oh these Vichy newcomers who don't know about Austin and its intense heat and lack of consistent rainfall................

Now that I think about it the ghetto equivalent is Stop Snitchen':

"Stop Snitchin" is the name of a specific Baltimore-based home-made DVD that threatened violence against would-be informants, and the name or theme of several hip hop recordings.

A different environment and level of the law but otherwise the same concept. Yeah, I couldn't abide by that attitude either unless I was an anarchist.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by PGHPA611

Fortunately For Me
America's Best Kept Secret
Is Cooler than Cool
I dont want to mention the city pictured above
We like staying under the radar in a stealth mode

Hmmmm... PGHPA611... PGH PA 611... could it be Pittsburgh PA Info?

I'm curious, since I've found many similar posts by you scattered all over the C-D forums, do you get paid for doing this, or are you just a big civic booster?

[Onedarkrose]

It's Pittsburgh.

Austin is changing and losing a lot of its former charm. Local businesses are closing like Artz Rib House while more chains pop up, like the Chipotle down the street from the former bbq joint. Ruta Maya is moving because rent at their current location is too high and they will no longer be playing live music. The Scoot Inn on 4th was bought by the owner of Casino el camino and will no longer have awesome live shows.

Even Leslie was trying to leave this place before he died. This place has definitely changed. Even the hipsters are being moved out by the yuppies which is actually pretty funny, but this place is becoming pretty vanilla. Expect more local institutions to shut down and more of the creative people to leave.

Make sure to follow the watering ban, noise ordinance, or whatever else.