Jim Watts

DALLAS — Tulsa County Independent School District No. 3 will begin 10 years of scheduled sales with a $19 million general obligation issue set for competitive sale on Feb. 16.

AUSTIN — The $1.3 billion effort to replace Dallas County’s public hospital was able to get off the ground with the use of Build America Bonds, which reduced the debt service burden on county taxpayers.

An agreement on balancing Oklahoma’s remaining fiscal 2010 budget announced last week includes cuts for some state agencies, a drawdown of the budget stabilization fund, and an early use of federal stimulus dollars.

The New Mexico House Education Committee has adopted a budget for fiscal 2011 that provides 0.5% more for public education than in fiscal 2010, but even that small an increase may require a tax hike for implementation.

Leaders from both parties said last week they support the bipartisan effort by Kansas Sen. John Vratil, R-Leawood, and Sen. Laura Kelly, D-Topeka, for a constitutional amendment that would establish a budget stabilization fund.

The Senate has agreed to $250 million in budget cuts for fiscal 2010 proposed by Gov. Mark Parkinson, sending the measure to the House for further consideration.

The Arkansas Blue Ribbon Committee on Highway Finance has urged tax increases and a diversion of general fund revenue to finance highway construction and maintenance needs estimated at $19.1 billion over the next 10 years. Current sources would provide only $4.1 billion over the period.

The U.S. Census Bureau has revised its estimate of New Orleans’ population as of July 1, 2008, to 336,644 from 311,853 after city officials said the count was too low.

DALLAS — The Dallas City Council on Wednesday approved the sale by a special local government corporation of up to $500 million of special facilities revenue bonds to finance upgrades at Love Field, the city-owned airport located near downtown.

DALLAS — Dallas may come to market in March with a delayed general obligation bond package, backed up by a new $350 million commercial paper program that will provide temporary construction financing for city bond projects.

Galveston Independent School District trustees voted last week to go ahead with a postponed project to build a new football stadium to replace an old one. Trustees must vote by March 8 to hold a May general obligation bond election for the project, which is expected to cost $34 million to $38 million.

Voters in the San Antonio Independent School District may go to the polls as early as November to decide on a bond election that would begin a lengthy process to update aging facilities.

Olivia Padilla-Jackson, director of the New Mexico Board of Finance, has been named director of Rio Rancho’s financial service department, effective March 1.

All sides have agreed to a plan to finance a new soccer stadium and office complex in Wyandotte County with $144.5 million of Kansas sales tax revenue, or STAR, bonds and $85 million in state tax credits and cash incentives.

Pulaski County must develop a process to return to taxpayers a year’s worth of revenue from an improperly approved property tax hike after the Arkansas Supreme Court last week said it would not reconsider its ruling overturning the levy.

Arizona made a late tuition payment to the three state universities last week, but continued to postpone a scheduled payment from the state general fund.

DALLAS — Another $641 million could be added to Louisiana’s $1.5 billion of remaining authorization for Gulf Opportunity Zone bonds if already-allocated bonds are not sold by mid-August.

While in New Orleans last week, Vice President Joe Biden said the federal government will allow local governments in Louisiana and Mississippi to seek forgiveness of special community disaster loans they received after the hurricanes of 2005.

DALLAS — U.S. Treasurer Rosie Rios used a visit on Friday to the site of Dallas’ new bond-financed convention center to highlight the benefits of Build America Bonds in stimulating the North Texas economy in 2009.

Oklahoma tax revenue fell in December for the 12th straight month, bringing the shortfall for the first six months of fiscal 2010 to $756.1 million.