Jim Watts

DALLAS — The Alamo Heights Independent School District in Texas is asking voters in the to approve a $44 million bond package on May 8.

The Texas State Board of Education said last week that the Permanent School Fund, which guarantees school district bonds and supports the purchase of student textbooks, realized a return of 25.02% in 2009.

The Kansas House Appropriations Committee last week gave its approval to a $5.1 billion budget for fiscal 2011 that reduces state aid to public education by $172 million. The tentative spending plan does not include any increases in state taxes.

Democratic Gov. Mark Parkinson joined with two of his Republican predecessors last week to urge Kansas legislators to provide more money for transportation programs.

The Arkansas Lottery Commission has approved a budget for fiscal 2011 that includes $478.5 million in ticket sales, which would provide $116.4 million for college scholarships.

Arizona’s future is at stake if voters reject a three-year sales tax increase on May 18, Gov. Jan Brewer told a gathering of some 200 community leaders last week.

DALLAS — The Louisiana State Bond Commission gave its approval Thursday for a general obligation refunding that could total up to $600 million.

DALLAS — Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Financing Corp. is asking for help in its quest to issue debt based on hundreds of million of dollars in offshore energy royalties that won’t begin flowing into the state treasury for another seven years.

DALLAS — When the Louisiana Legislature convenes for its 2010 session in 11 days, lawmakers may face a budget situation that is worse than anticipated just three months ago.

Salt Lake City officials said last week that projected expenses in fiscal 2011 will exceed projected revenue by as much as $20 million.

The $325 million of public money invested by Arlington in the $1.2 billion Dallas Cowboys Stadium seems to be paying off.

Texas collected $1.6 billion in sales tax revenue in February from sales in January, down 8.8% from February 2009.

The Oklahoma Tax Commission distributed $152.9 million of sales and use taxes to cities and counties in February. The revenue reflects sales between Dec. 16 and Dec. 31, and estimated sales from Jan. 1 to Jan. 15.

Proposals for a new high school that would be financed through a $15 million bond program were outlined last week to trustees of Muskogee County Independent School District 29.

School officials from across Kansas testified last week in opposition to a bill that would add to the cost of general obligation bonds issued by local districts for capital projects.

DALLAS — Oklahoma tax revenue in February exceeded the official forecast for the first time since December 2008, with better-than-expected collections from personal income and energy production taxes.

DALLAS — Texas lawmakers will be facing a revenue shortfall of at least $11 billion when they develop the next two-year budget in 2011.

A number of school districts are looking for approval of general obligation bond packages at the May 8 election.

Trustees of the Galveston Independent School District last week set an election for May 8 on $35 million of general obligation bonds to build a new football stadium on the island.

The Tulsa City Council is considering a rainy-day fund that would bank revenue generated during good economic times to avoid budget cuts during lean periods.