Texas

DALLAS — The Texas Department of Transportation expects to go to market this spring after gaining approval to issue up to $3 billion of general obligation bonds.

DALLAS — A court case that threatens plans for the first nuclear power project in more than three decades headed for trial after a Texas district judge in San Antonio ruled that the lawsuit by the city’s CPS Energy utility could go forward.

DALLAS — The Dallas City Council on Wednesday approved the sale by a special local government corporation of up to $500 million of special facilities revenue bonds to finance upgrades at Love Field, the city-owned airport located near downtown.

DALLAS — Dallas may come to market in March with a delayed general obligation bond package, backed up by a new $350 million commercial paper program that will provide temporary construction financing for city bond projects.

DALLAS — The Northside Independent School District, the largest in the San Antonio area, is making plans to seek voter approval in May for $535 million of general obligation bonds to keep up with growth.

DALLAS — U.S. Treasurer Rosie Rios used a visit on Friday to the site of Dallas’ new bond-financed convention center to highlight the benefits of Build America Bonds in stimulating the North Texas economy in 2009.

DALLAS — In the wake of a favorable Internal Revenue Service ruling in December, the Texas Board of Education last week began the process of reopening and possibly doubling the bond-backing capacity of the Permanent School Fund.

DALLAS — Southwest Securities FSB, the commercial banking subsidiary of SWS Group Inc., has named Larry Kilgore as senior vice president and regional president of the firm’s downtown Fort Worth and Southlake, Tex., banking centers.

DALLAS — The Port of Houston Authority of Harris County will take advantage of its highly rated credit tomorrow by offering $327 million of refunding bonds, a deal that comes amid major expansion plans for one of the nation’s busiest cargo and petro-chemical facilities.

DALLAS — The Lower Colorado River Authority, one of the largest wholesale energy providers in Texas, aims to take advantage of favorable interest rates with a $426 million refunding deal this week.

DALLAS — The Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District between Dallas and Fort Worth is preparing to issue $102 million of refunding bonds without waiting for a triple-A guarantee from the Texas Permanent School Fund.

As Houston's comptroller, Annise Parker supervised millions of dollars worth of bond deals over the past six years. Now, as mayor, she will broaden her oversight of the city, with plans to tighten the budget and wield greater control over the Harris County Metropolitan Transit Authority that is expanding the city's light-rail system.

Comal County commissioners last week set a May election on $36 million of general obligation bonds to build a new justice center in New Braunfels after residents stopped a plan to issue certificates of obligation for the facility.

The decline in sales tax collections that began in February continued in November, Texas Controller Susan Combs said last week, as the $1.7 billion of revenue that came in for the month was down 14.4% from November 2008.

DALLAS — The Texas A&M University System has called off a plan to issue $106.7 million of revenue financing system refunding bonds, citing market conditions that precluded sufficient savings.

DALLAS — The North Tarrant Express, a $2 billion toll road project that represents one of the largest public-private partnerships in Texas, begins its financial history clinging to investment-grade ­ratings.

DALLAS — Austin may be moving toward a $600 million bond election as the City Council considers ways to build a light-rail system.

DALLAS — Three large and growing school districts in Texas made significant leaps into the double-A leagues last week with Standard & Poor’s upgrades.

DALLAS — Two university systems based in Denton, Tex., will use more than $180 million of bond proceeds for new facilities, including a satellite campus in Dallas 35 miles to the south.

DALLAS — A team of developers will receive the proceeds of $400 million of private-activity bonds this month to finance one of the most ambitious public-private toll operations in Texas: a $2 billion project known as the North Tarrant Express.