Jim Watts

DALLAS — Texas Gov. Rick Perry met Monday with Republican lawmakers and urged them to avoid tapping the state’s $9 billion budget stabilization fund to help close a $27 billion revenue gap over the next two fiscal years.

DALLAS — Louisiana’s Revenue Estimating Conference on Tuesday adopted an official revenue estimate for fiscal 2012 that shows only slight relief for next year’s $1.6 billion budget shortfall.

Trustees of the Austin Independent School District declared a financial exigency last week that will allow it to terminate contracts covering 1,153 teaching and administrative posts.

Kansas general fund revenue of $224 million was $11.5 million less than expected in February, the Department of Revenue said last week, putting collections $6.3 million below projections so far in fiscal 2011.

The Kansas House Committee on Taxation has endorsed a bill to repeal the 1% increase in the state sales tax that lawmakers approved last year. The increase, to 6.3% from 5.3%, went into effect July 1.

State revenue was up in February for the seventh time in the first eight months of fiscal 2011, but fell below expectations.

Arizona taxpayers have donated $42.3 million to public and charters schools this year, with the total expected to grow by another $1 million as final 2010 state income tax returns are filed.

DALLAS — Texas will not be able to resolve a $4.3 billion revenue shortfall by the end of fiscal 2011 through budget cuts, state Comptroller Susan Combs warned legislators Thursday.

DALLAS — Voters in the Dallas suburb of Frisco will have an opportunity in May to reconsider a September 2002 vote authorizing $19 million of general obligation bonds for a regional arts center.

DALLAS — Voters in San Antonio’s North East Independent School District will decide on almost $400 million of general obligation bonds as trustees opted to put the larger of two proposed debt requests on the May ballot.

DALLAS — Louisiana’s financial adviser said the timing of Tuesday’s competitive sale of $300 million of general obligation bonds put the issue into a market starved for high-quality public debt offerings.

Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell said last week that voters will be asked in November 2012 to decide on a bond package that would fund an urban rail system, roads, bike paths, parks, and libraries.

Oklahoma’s highest income-tax rate will drop to 5.25% from 5.5% on Jan. 2, 2012, after the Board of Equalization determined last week that revenues will be 4.4% higher next year than in fiscal 2011.

Oklahoma general fund collections in January totaled $490.3 million, or almost $80 million more than in January 2010 and $24 million more than expected.

Little Rock Wastewater officials will meet with the city’s Sanitary Sewer Committee on Thursday to determine how to finance at least $200 million of capital improvements to the system.

Sales tax collections in Phoenix totaled $34.8 million in January, up 12.5% from January 2010’s $30.9 million.

Arkansas voters would be asked to decide on $2.8 billion of state bonds for highway projects under a proposal to be introduced next week by House Speaker Robert Moore Jr.

Oklahoma's cumulative $16.5 billion of unfunded pension liabilities is unsustainable and could damage the state's bond ratings, Treasurer Ken Miller said Tuesday.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said he would support legislation this year that would allow him to cut state agency budgets by up to 10% — instead of the 5% he's currently allowed — if revenue falls below expectations.

Louisiana will enter the new-money market Tuesday for the first time since 2009 with a competitive sale of $300 million of general obligation bonds.