Indiana

Indiana collected $31 million more than projected last month and $164 million more than it collected during the same period last year, according to the state’s budget office.

BRADENTON, Fla. - The Louisville and Southern Indiana Bridges Authority is asking construction industry professionals and others to help it build the Ohio River Bridges Project faster and less expensively.

Fitch Ratings downgraded to A from A-plus its rating on Reid Hospital and Health Services last week, warning that the Richmond, Ind., facility continues to suffer from operating losses. Fitch revised the outlook to stable from negative.

CHICAGO - A nursing home in Gary, Ind., has skipped monthly payments that fund debt service since last March, forcing the bond trustee to dip into a reserve account to cover a Sept. 1 interest payment.

Indiana recently said it will hand control of five academically troubled schools to private school-management firms.

CHICAGO - The Indiana Municipal Power Agency, which supplies power to municipal electric utilities, is expected to enter the market Thursday with $88.5 million of power supply system revenue bonds.

CHICAGO — The Indianapolis Local Public Improvement Bond Bank plans to enter the market next week with $200 million of subordinate, special-tax bonds to refund debt issued 14 years ago to finance Conseco Fieldhouse, home of the Indiana Pacers pro basketball team.

Indianapolis and Citizens Energy Group, a nonprofit utility, announced last week the formal closure of a high-profile deal to sell the city’s water and sewer systems to Citizens.

CHICAGO — Raymond James & Associates Inc. has agreed to repurchase $31.2 million of auction-rate securities from Indiana investors affected by the failure of the auction-rate market in 2008, Indiana Secretary of State Charles White announced Wednesday.

CHICAGO — A committee of Indiana legislators will hold the first in a series of hearings today to review the state's infrastructure needs — estimated at $5.4 billion with an $800 million annual shortfall going forward — as proceeds from the long-term lease of the Indiana Toll Road are set to run out by 2015.

CHICAGO - Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard unveiled what he called the triple-A rated city's tightest budget in years, offsetting falling revenue by dipping into funds from the city's lucrative downtown tax increment finance district.

Fitch Ratings last week affirmed its AAA rating and stable outlook on Indianapolis.

CHICAGO - Citizens Energy Group, a nonprofit utility, will enter the market next week with up to $1 billion of new-money and refunding tax-exempt bonds to finance the purchase of Indianapolis' water and sewer systems.

State Budget Solutions, a national budget watchdog group, gave Indiana its “Reality Check” award and Gov. Mitch Daniels its “Real Leader” award for the state’s budgeting process and increased fiscal stability.

CHICAGO - In a nice surprise, Indiana ended fiscal 2011 with $1.18 billion in its reserves, around $1 billion more than expected.

CHICAGO - Indiana University, a triple-A rated credit, will hit the market Thursday with $96 million of student-fee revenue bonds to finance construction of a neuroscience building.

Local governments will soon be able to post their budgets online as part of Indiana's effort to boost transparency and public access to information.

Gov. Mitch Daniels Wednesday will tour three Indiana cities to mark the five-year anniversary of Major Moves, the largest infrastructure program in the state's history, which was financed in part with the $3.8 billion Indiana Toll Road lease.

Bloomington plans to issue $13 million of revenue bonds to finance the acquisition of 12 acres of downtown property from Indiana University. The city hopes to then sell the land to a developer for residential and retail projects.

The Central Indiana Regional Transportation Authority, a quasi-governmental organization that promotes public transit, said last week that it has launched a petition drive to support local funding options for public transportation.