Texas

Texas cities will share $471.1 million of the more than $2 billion of state sales tax revenue that was collected in January.

The Rockwall, Texas, City Council last week set an election for May 12 on a $59 million, four-part general obligation bond program that includes a $25.1 million athletic complex.

Trustees of the Tyler Independent School District in Texas adopted a long-range capital plan last week that would begin with proceeds from a bond election in November.

DALLAS — The two primary sources of revenue for Texas — property value and sales — both rebounded in 2011, according to state Comptroller Susan Combs.

DALLAS — The Dallas City Council on Wednesday postponed a decision on whether to create a conduit issuer that could issue tax-exempt revenue bonds to finance the expansion of a charter school chain.

With its major tenant, American Airlines, in bankruptcy, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport is taking advantage of low interest rates and a favorable tax ruling in a $450 million refunding.

DALLAS — Alliance Texas, one of the most successful multi-modal inland ports in the nation, will suffer a blow to employment when bankrupt AMR Corp. closes its American Airlines maintenance base in Fort Worth.

DALLAS — A Texas teachers group is asking Gov. Rick Perry to call a special legislative session that would restore state aid to school districts by taking $2.5 billion from the state's rainy-day fund.

DALLAS — After gulping down the rival Bexar Metropolitan Water District, the San Antonio Water System is ready to take advantage of low interest rates with a $245.6 million refunding.

DALLAS — Dallas is looking at a fiscal 2013 budget gap between anticipated revenues and expected expenses of $49 million at best, but at worst it could grow to $87 million, city manager May Suhm told the City Council Wednesday.

DALLAS — Two years after sharply retrenching in a harsh economy, Dallas Area Rapid Transit is enjoying a lift in its credit score from Fitch Ratings along with rising sales tax revenue and lower construction costs.

Houston last week broke ground on a $1 billion bond-financed redevelopment of George Bush Intercontinental Airport.

Robert Shepard has resigned as the governor-appointed director of the North Texas Tollway Authority’s board. Shepard’s resignation comes as the board faces a probe into it past business practices by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, but his departure is said not to be related to that inquiry.

DALLAS — After sitting out 2011, the University of Texas System Board of Regents will offer $200 million of top-rated revenue financing system refunding bonds to a receptive market this week, followed shortly by another $235 million deal.

The trustees of the South San Antonio Independent School District voted last week to allow advertisements on its fleet of 30 school buses.

The San Antonio City Council will meet Feb. 16 to approve a final and detailed list of 140 bond-financed projects and set an election for May 12 on $596 million of general obligation bonds.

Facing a federal investigation of past practices, the North Texas Tollway Authority has adopted a new ethics policy that requires extensive disclosure and tighter strictures on conflicts of interest.

DALLAS — In an unusual combination of financings, the Tarrant Regional Water District in Fort Worth will issue $295 million of bonds in two deals for a $2.3 billion water pipeline from East Texas.

A bond committee has asked the trustees of the Tatum Independent School District to set a May election on a $29.9 million general obligation bond program.

Legalizing the estimated 132,000 illegal immigrants working in the Houston area would result in an additional $1.4 billion in federal, state and local tax revenues, a Houston business advocacy group said last week at an immigration seminar at Rice University.