Texas

DALLAS — Seeking to take advantage of historically low interest rates on the long and short end of the market, Houston brought $371 million of refunding bonds to market Tuesday through a syndicate led by Jefferies & Co.

El Paso County, Texas, commissioners last week approved George K. Baum & Co. as the replacement for Coastal Securities as the county’s financial advisor in a 3-to-2 vote.

DALLAS — As its largest tenant faces an uncertain future, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport plans a mix of refunding and new-money debt for this week and late May.

DALLAS — A general obligation bond program going to El Paso, Texas, voters in November grew from an initial $200 million to a new total of up to $835 million at a special City Council meeting Wednesday.

DALLAS — Dallas can ask voters for $600 million of new general obligation debt in November without raising the tax rate under revised projections outlined Wednesday to the City Council.

DALLAS — Texas Gov. Rick Perry called Monday for a state constitutional amendment to link and limit increases in state spending to population growth plus inflation.

DALLAS — The Houston Airport System's plan for a $100 million expansion of William P. Hobby Airport hit some turbulence this week as City Council members expressed opposition to a study backing the move on behalf of Southwest Airlines.

Texas collected $1.87 billion of sales tax revenue in March, up almost 17% from collections in March 2011.

A preliminary Travis County state district court ruling on whether oil and gas drilling and production equipment is exempt from the Texas sales tax could cost the state millions of dollars a year in lost revenues and billions more in refunds.

DALLAS — Houston voters should expect a general obligation bond election in November, Mayor Annise Parker said Thursday in her third state of the city address.

DALLAS — The Dallas City Council approved up to $25.5 million of tax and revenue certificates of obligation Wednesday to finance improvements to the city-owned Cotton Bowl stadium in Fair Park.

Proponents of San Antonio's $596 million general obligation bond plan set for a May 12 election will rely on citizen "bond ambassadors" to get their message across to voters.

Two of Texas' most congested cities — Houston and Austin — are moving forward with managed toll lane projects after identifying sources of funding from the Texas Department of Transportation.

More than half of the residential properties in Williamson County dropped in value last year, the county appraisal district said last week.

Bond attorneys are studying a recent IRS ruling that allowed Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport to issue $1 million of bonds that were not subject to the alternative minimum tax.

DALLAS — Members of the Dallas City Council were enthusiastic last week about a plan to keep a college football game in its long-time home with stadium improvements financed by $25.5 million of certificates of obligation.

DALLAS — Dallas would issue up to $25.5 million of 10-year certificates of obligation to upgrade the city-owned Cotton Bowl stadium under a plan outlined Monday to the City Council's budget and finance committee.

Travis County District Judge John Dietz said last week he intends to combine four lawsuits challenging Texas’ school finance laws into a single case. A fifth group of plaintiffs will be included as interveners in one of them.

The Dallas City Council last week approved a request by Uplift Education for up to $90 million of tax-exempt bonds to build new charter public schools in Dallas and Fort Worth.

DALLAS — A $500 million general obligation bond package going to Dallas voters this fall will do little to whittle down the city's $4.4 billion of needed street repairs and reconstruction.