Colorado

A petition drive to raise about $1 billion per year for education through higher income taxes arrived at the Colorado Secretary of State's office Monday with nearly twice the number of required signatures.

Denver's plan to develop an "Airport City" at Denver International Airport faces challenges from neighbors who say they are already leading the way.

Colorado's E-470 Public Highway Authority may change a closed toll booth to a service stop for drivers. Meanwhile, the authority is refinancing $66 million of debt that represents a legacy of the 2008 market collapse.

Fitch Ratings on Friday affirmed its double-A rating and stable outlook on the Colorado School Credit Enhancement Program that backs local school bonds.

Children's Hospital of Colorado this week will raise $200 million for new facilities with deald that combine fixed-rate bonds and direct placement of variable-rate debt.

The Internal Revenue Service is auditing $13.2 million of certificates of participation issued in 2009 by the Douglas County School District, No. RE1 in Colorado.

The Denver suburb of Aurora has approved a $25 million tax subsidy to build a conference center hotel at the Anschutz Medical Campus.

Denver will price one of its largest issues of airport bonds Thursday, offering $736 million of subordinate-lien debt for construction of its South Terminal hotel and commuter rail station.

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper has named Peck, Shaffer & Williams attorney Mary L. Groves to the Colorado Municipal Bond Supervision Advisory Board.

Publicly funded Denver Health and Hospital Authority is running a $1 million deficit due to its status as the hospital for the uninsured and the sequester of federal funds enacted by Congress, according to a recent report.

The Internal Revenue Service is auditing $35.3 million of Series A clean water revenue bonds issued by the Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority in 2007.

The first state sales tax on recreational marijuana cleared the Colorado General Assembly, with the first $40 million wholesale tax revenue directed to a bond program for school construction.

Colorado's $20.5 billion budget signed into law this week by Gov. John Hickenlooper provides $188 million for capital construction that is expected to be funded by bonds.

Ratings agencies are awaiting details on the debt structure of the combined St. Luke's Episcopal Health System of Texas and Colorado-based Catholic Health Initiatives before issuing an opinion on the $2 billion deal.

Denver Public Schools will convert all of its variable rate debt to fixed rate and pay $129 million in swap termination fees with proceeds from a $529 million deal expected to go to market Wednesday.

Colorado's Regional Transportation District plans to issue $225 million of certificates of participation this month as its $7.9 billion FasTracks rail and bus network achieves major construction milestones.

The IRS is auditing $356.2 million of revenue refunding bonds issued by the Denver, Colo., Convention Center Hotel Authority in May 2006.

Colorado Springs has approved refunding $110 million of combined utility system revenue bonds as the city studies the possibility of selling or leasing its electric power system to a private operator.

Southwest bond issuance volume rebounded 53% to $64.5 billion in 2012, according to Thomson Reuters data, with prospects for continued stability in the current year.

Colorado developer Zach Davidson has been indicted on 20 counts of misusing public funds from a $31 million bond issue designed to finance an upscale housing development in affluent Greenwood Village.