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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The ruling by a state judge comes in a lawsuit that pointed to unequal access by public school districts to local property taxes and bonds.
August 14 -
The fiscal 2026 budget would increase police and fire funding by $63.1 million as the city works to comply with a voter-approved public safety spending mandate.
August 12 -
A flow of public dollars to private schools has raised credit concerns about public schools and spurred litigation in Southwest states.
August 12 -
The measure would lower the percentage increase in property tax revenue larger cities and counties can tap for operations without seeking voter approval.
August 7 -
Officials are considering selling more voter-approved bonds for the stalled project, which could be jumpstarted with a phased-in construction approach.
August 6 -
City council approval of a five-part bond proposition for the Nov. 4 ballot comes as Denver faces a two-year, $250 million budget shortfall.
August 5 -
The state faces a $1.2 billion revenue hit in fiscal 2026 , as well as future spending pressures, from President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill.
August 5 -
Legislation that would put a tighter limit on property tax increases for larger cities and counties advanced out of a Senate committee on Friday.
August 1 -
The city council signed off on an $810 million debt sale, while it considers asking voters for a property tax rate increase this year to address budget gaps.
July 29 -
Port Freeport's decision to go property tax-free resulted in a revenue bond rating downgrade from S&P and raised disclosure questions.
July 24 -
The $719.5 million of general airport revenue bonds will help finance an ongoing multi-billion-dollar capital improvement plan.
July 22 -
The legislature, which returns to respond to recent floods, could also take up bills to curb local property taxes, including bills aimed at bond issuance.
July 22 -
Nederland, Colorado, has a plan to issue revenue bonds to finance its purchase of a ski resort that would be turned into a year-round community asset.
July 18 -
Hays County will appeal a June 23 court ruling that voided a successful GO bond election while it explores issuing alternative debt to fund road projects.
July 16 -
The city council voted unanimously to hold a special election on an 11-part GO bond proposition, which will be the largest in the city's history.
July 15 -
The budget traveled a bumpy road before a package of spending bills won final passage just days before the July 1 start of fiscal 2026.
July 8 -
The Alpine School District deal will finance school buildings in a part of the district that will be split off into a separate entity in July 2027.
July 7 -
Oklahoma can continue to collect income taxes from certain Native Americans in a case that threatened to cost the state millions of dollars in tax refunds.
July 2 -
Tardy annual financial audits could strip Texas cities of their ability to raise property tax rates under a state law that takes effect Sept. 1.
July 1 -
A Kansas state legislative council will meet next month to keep a 2024 bond-financing law alive at the request of the Missouri-based Kansas City Chiefs.
June 27
