Caitlin Devitt

CHICAGO — As Michigan lawmakers work to finish a fiscal 2012 budget by the end of May, fiscal officials said Monday the long-struggling state is poised to enjoy its strongest revenue growth in a decade.

The company building casinos in Cleveland and Cincinnati halted construction last week amid an ongoing debate by Ohio Gov. John Kasich and lawmakers about a final gambling tax rate.

Nebraska lawmakers last week passed a bill that eliminates an occupation tax imposed by Lincoln to help boost its budget.

Moody’s Investors Service last week downgraded to A2 from Aa3 the underlying rating on the Harper Woods City School District, and assigned a negative outlook.

A Detroit-based group opposed to Michigan’s controversial new emergency financial-management law filed petition language with the state Board of Canvassers for a referendum on it.

CHICAGO — The new federal health care law’s emphasis on high-quality, low-cost medical care could have widespread credit implications for the sector, Moody’s Investors Service said in a report last week.

CHICAGO — Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder’s choice for emergency manager of Detroit ­Public Schools will enjoy broader powers than his predecessor, but faces a structural deficit that has increased more than 60% in two years.

CHICAGO — The Gary school district is warning that Indiana’s refusal to allow the district to levy a new tax for debt service payments will lead to teacher layoffs and other classroom cuts.

Cincinnati’s long-planned proposal to build a streetcar line advanced last week despite opposition from Ohio’s new Republican governor, John Kasich. Mayor Mark Mallory announced last week that the city would begin work on the $95 million, four-mile first segment of the line.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is now expected to wait until the Legislature ­approves a fiscal 2012 budget before introducing a draft measure to advance a controversial plan to build a publicly funded bridge over the busy trade route spanning the Detroit River.

State revenues continue to come in under projections but are above collections for the same period last year, according to Indiana fiscal officials.

CHICAGO — The Nebraska Public Power District Monday will price $64 million of general revenue bonds to refund commercial paper issued to finance the cost of nuclear fuel. The bonds mature from 2012 through 2017.

CHICAGO — Nebraska won a coveted AAA rating last week from Standard & Poor’s. The upgrade reflects Nebraska’s history of a stable economy, conservative budgeting, strong reserves, and one of the lowest debt burdens in the nation, according to analysts.

CHICAGO — As federal subsidies for renewable energy projects begin to expire, the role of states and local governments will become more important in getting deals done, according to panelists at The Bond Buyer’s Symposium on Public Financing of Sustainable Energy Projects here Wednesday.

CHICAGO — The new administration running Cook County, Ill., continued to fill out its top financial team last week with the appointment of a new budget director and a new deputy director of ­finance.

CHICAGO — Revenue may be down but capital needs remain, prompting more governments to partner with each other to finance infrastructure projects, according to panelists Tuesday at the Bond Buyer’s Midwest Public Finance Conference.

Moody’s Investors Service has affirmed its A2 rating on Kettering Health Network’s $41 million of bonds but revised its outlook to negative from stable, warning that planned debt sales could pressure the system’s balance sheet.

Detroit Mayor Dave Bing met with Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and legislators last week to push a deficit-elimination plan that hinges on the passage of new state laws.

Moody’s Investors Service revised its outlook to stable from negative and affirmed its A2 rating on Oakwood Healthcare Inc., a multi-hospital system headquartered in Dearborn.

A group that includes influential members of Indianapolis’ political and business community has floated a proposal that could lead to mayoral control of the city’s school system.