Mississippi

NATCHEZ, Miss. -- A Natchez-Adams School Board member defended on Monday next month's election for the public to decide on a $35 million school bond issue for renovating several of the district's schools.

The Oxford School District will host a series of community meetings starting Monday to gather input regarding a proposed bond issue.

Issuers across the Southeast brought $71.7 billion of municipal bonds to market in 2016, a 3.3% year-over-year increase that was generated largely by refundings.

Some Mississippi Democratic legislators want to void a state tax cut to fund roads.

Jackson, Miss.’s water and sewer revenue bonds were downgraded four notches by S&P Global Ratings partly due to the lack of initiatives to improve revenues.

Southeast issuers sold $37.63 billion of municipal bonds in the first half of 2016, a decline of 10.9% from the same period last year, even as new money deals increased.

Jackson, Miss.'s general obligation, water and sewer, and special obligation bonds were all cut several notches by Moody's Investors Service, which cited multiple years of structural budget imbalance.

Butler Snow LLP has hired attorneys Steve Edds and Sue Hicks Fairbank to work in the firm’s public finance office in Richland, Mississippi.

Mississippi absorbed a downgrade from Fitch Ratings, which cited weaker-than-expected .performance and criteria changes in lowering its issuer default and general obligation ratings one notch to AA.

After Mississippi tapped its rainy day fund for a second time to cover a budget shortfall, Moody's Investors Service called the withdrawal a credit negative.