Colorado

The estimated $100 million raised annually from the 0.5% tax increase on the Nov. 5 ballot could be used to back bonds for affordable housing.

Issuers in the eight-state region sold $50.6 billion of bonds with Texas accounting for 65% of the volume.

Municipal bond market participants say a proposed constitutional amendment targeting property tax revenue would increase borrowing costs and lead to litigation.

The plan would raise about $100 million a year to create and preserve affordable housing.

The Colorado Educational and Cultural Facilities Authority formed a non-profit subsidiary to facilitate the financing, ownership, and operation of the historic hotel.

The 0.34% sales tax rate increase would raise an estimated $70 million annually for Colorado's only safety net healthcare provider.

Moody's Ratings analysts revised the outlook to stable from negative on the expectation that states and locals will fill an $8 billion operations funding gap.

The rating agency said legislation signed into law this month to limit annual property tax revenue growth to 5.5% could reduce commercial property collections.

The move to reclassify marijuana as a less-dangerous drug comes amid slowing growth of cannabis-related tax revenue in states that legalized it, like Colorado.

Along with tax cuts and school funding increases, lawmakers created passenger rail funding streams and paved the way for a historic hotel's bond-financed purchase.

An amended bill that would clear the way for the Colorado Educational and Cultural Facilities Authority to issue bonds for its purchase of the Stanley Hotel, which inspired Stephen King's The Shining, advanced out of a Senate committee.

A bond-financed purchase of the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, which served as an inspiration for Stephen King's The Shining, is being pursued by the Colorado Educational and Cultural Facilities Authority.

Telluride town and its schools both issued debt to fund 'workforce housing' for teachers and public servants who can't afford multi-million dollar real estate.

Texas bond volume climbed 22.5% to lead the nation in a year when issuance in the eight-state Southwest region increased by only 0.6%.

Colorado's sole public safety net healthcare provider faces rising uncompensated care costs, driven in part by treating thousands of uninsured migrants coming from the southern border.

Stronger-than-expected economic numbers could boost bond issuance.

Providing care for thousands of migrants is contributing to the system's escalating uncompensated care costs.

Office sectors in some Southwest cities, including Houston, are stressed due to elevated vacancy rates that may lower assessed values and property tax revenue.

Cities and states in the Southwest are making affordable housing a funding priority through voter-approved general obligation bonds or in their budgets.

The top five bond financings have an average dollar volume of more than $1 billion.