Georgia

Municipal bond issuance in the Southeast dropped nearly 12% to $30.7 billion in the first half of 2013. Sales were down in eight of the 11 states comprising the region.

Common Cause Georgia said its petition effort for a referendum on the issue of public financing for the Atlanta Falcons $1 billion stadium fell short.

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal said Monday that net state revenue collections in July were up $1.41 billion for an increase of $88.5 million or 6.7% compared to July 2012.

A preliminary purchase price has been negotiated for some of the land to build the Atlanta Falcons a new $1 billion football stadium, though the exact site still has not been determined.

Georgia has chosen Northwest Express Roadbuilders to negotiate a contract for the construction of the 30-mile, managed-lane Northwest Corridor project.

Atlanta plans to refinance $771.7 million of water and sewer revenue bonds in the next two months for interest savings and to deal with an unhedged swap.

Gilt-edged Georgia saw tax collections rise monthly during fiscal 2013, except for November, to end the year with an increase of $17 billion or 5.9% compared to fiscal 2012.

Georgia is seeking public comments on three vendors that are vying to build the estimated nearly $1 billion, 30-mile, Northwest Corridor managed-lane project.

Gilt-edged Georgia plans to competitively price up to $842 million in general obligation bonds June 26 in a multi-faceted deal that could have broad investment appeal.

The Atlanta BeltLine Inc. has selected Paul Morris as its president and chief executive officer.

Bond attorney Griffith 'Grif' F. Pitcher died April 23 following a short illness. A memorial service is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday at the Carmichael Funeral Home in Smyrna, Ga.

The Georgia Supreme Court unanimously ruled last week that use of school tax revenue to fund development projects, including the Atlanta BeltLine, is constitutional.

The watchdog group Common Cause Georgia is requesting that Atlanta schedule a referendum on public financing for the Falcons' $1 billion new stadium.

The Federal Highway Administration has given final environmental approval to Georgia's $1 billion Northwest Corridor project paving the way for work the 30-mile congestion reliever for the Atlanta region.

The Georgia Institute of Technology's recent announcement that it will offer the first low-cost online master's degree in computer science is a credit positive, according to Moody's Investors Service.

Atlanta-area businesses agreed to tax themselves to secure $10 million in bond financing to help reconstruct one of the region's busiest and most congested interchanges.

Wells Fargo Bank N.A. has notified investors holding the defaulted bonds of three Georgia charter schools that they will lose about 22.7% of their outstanding principal.

The Federal Railroad Administration and Georgia Department of Transportation are preparing a study to evaluate high-speed passenger rail service between Atlanta and Charlotte, N.C.

Three National Football League teams in the Southeast recently ended hard-fought battles for public funds to build or improve their stadiums. Only two succeeded. The struggle was not unusual, experts say.

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed is proposing a fiscal 2014 general fund budget of $538.65 million, which is a decrease of $3.65 million over the current year's budget due to a continuing decline in property tax revenues.