Pre-Council and City Council meetings have been canceled for Jan. 20. The next meetings are scheduled Jan. 27, with Pre-Council at 8:30 a.m. and City Council at 10 a.m. Both meetings will be held at City Hall, 1000 Throckmorton St.

Municipal Court customer service windows will be closed Saturday, Jan. 17, through Monday, Jan. 19. The Saturday and Sunday closings are due to technology upgrades. The Monday closing is for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

Residents are encouraged to use water efficiently to help keep lake levels above trigger points for mandatory water-use restrictions.

City foresters are working to designate 100 heritage trees in honor of the Parks and Community Services Department’s Centennial.

The City of Fort Worth is working to give small businesses the tools they need to grow and succeed in today's marketplace with the 10th annual Lockheed Martin/Chase Entrepreneur Expo®, set for April 22, 2009, at the Fort Worth Convention Center, 1201 Houston St.

Learn more about the college application process, programs offered at educational institutions and how to apply for financial aid at the Launch Pad College Fair, set from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 31 at Central Library.

Fort Worth City Council finalized a new gas drilling ordinance at its Dec. 16 meeting. Download an unofficial copy of the new ordinance, which includes all approved revisions.

Neighborhoods need stable homeownership to maintain a consistent value and quality of life, but the nationwide rise in foreclosures threatens to leave many houses vacant. Beginning in the first quarter of 2009, the city through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will offer down payment assistance to income-eligible homebuyers who purchase lender-foreclosed homes as part of the Fort Worth Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP).

Visit the NSP program page for more information.

Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)-certified housing counseling is available to help Tarrant County residents avoid foreclosure and keep up with mortgage payments. For more information, visit the city's Housing and Economic Development Department's housing counseling page.