Karen is a senior reporter covering the Southwest. She has covered the municipal bond market for more than 30 years at The Bond Buyer and Reuters. Prior to that she wrote about futures and options markets for magazines and was an award-winning reporter for a suburban Chicago newspaper chain.
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's ongoing audit compliance probe led to more than 130 cities being prohibited from raising their property tax rates.
57m ago -
Among the reasons S&P cited for the upgrades are "very high activity levels and long history of favorable enplanement trends."
May 13 -
The Texas city, which has been hit with rating downgrades due to a looming water supply crisis, plans to sell up to $728 million of bonds.
May 12 -
The constitutionality of a state law that threatens outstanding bonds issued for a detention facility is being challenged by the U.S. Department of Justice.
May 12 -
The mayor's plan to balance the fiscal 2027 budget relies heavily on proposed revenue-raising moves involving the combined utility system enterprise fund.
May 12 -
The rating agency cited an improving governance profile, which incorporates a trend of budgetary reserve fund maintenance and increasing pension contributions.
May 7 -
McKinney, Texas, is fighting a challenge to a refunding of sales tax-backed bonds sold for a commercial airline service project at its general aviation airport.
May 5 -
The drought-stricken Texas city's utility system rating was cut two notches to A, marking a continued downward trend in its credit quality.
May 5 -
Months after the state cracked down on cities' tardy annual financial audits, adherence to a statutory filing deadline is improving with fiscal 2025 reports.
May 5 -
The biggest-ever bond referendum in Texas was passed Saturday for Dallas schools, while voters in only one city chose to leave Dallas Area Rapid Transit.
May 4 -
Fitch, Moody's, and S&P were sent a letter from 23 GOP state attorneys general over the use of ESG factors related to fossil fuel in negative rating actions.
April 28 -
Debt requests are escalating as the Lone Star State accommodates a growing population and addresses aging infrastructure.
April 28 -
The state Supreme Court's ruling comes in a case that targeted the 2022 issuance of nearly $687 million of ratepayer-backed bonds for a utility company.
April 23 -
The Arlington City Council approved a master agreement to fund ongoing maintenance, operation, and improvements at the city-owned NFL stadium.
April 23 -
The city council amended an ordinance dealing with police interaction with federal immigration enforcement to prevent a $114 million funding loss.
April 22 -
The Texas city's latest projection for the onset of a Level 1 emergency comes as water woes spurred rating downgrades and negative outlooks since last fall.
April 21 -
The Middle East conflict sent oil prices higher, potentially benefitting energy producing states, although heightened inflation risks could hit budgets.
April 21 -
Otero County said the state Supreme Court's decision protects bonds that are paid off with revenue generated under an agreement with the federal agency.
April 17 -
Austin and Dallas joined Houston in being warned that millions of dollars in state grants are at risk over federal immigration enforcement interaction policies.
April 17 -
The rating agency's previous review of the Texas city resulted in downgrades in December over increased credit risk due to water supply woes.
April 16
