Washington

Natwar Gandhi, the District of Columbia's chief financial officer, says that while it's time to retire from his post, he would have liked to have explored the idea of a public-private partnership to fund the district's infrastructure needs and find a way to help the poor given the city's narrow tax base.

An agreement on funding new and renewed transportation infrastructure could be the basis of a bipartisan budget deal, President Barack Obama said Friday at the Port of New Orleans in south Louisiana.

The Securities and Exchange Commission Friday announced that LeeAnn Gaunt will lead its enforcement division's municipal securities and public pensions unit, replacing Elaine Greenberg, who left to join a law firm.

The SEC's enforcement action against participants in the Regional Events Center Public Facilities District's arena deal shows that the commission will not shy from seeking financial penalties against municipal issuers and transaction participants, market participants said.

Jefferson County, Ala.'s bankruptcy plan will eliminate dozens of suits, restructure debt, and offer the sewer system "a fresh start," court documents said.

The Maryland Transit Administration plans to seek bids soon for a private partner willing to provide up to $900 million of funding for a $2.2 billion light-rail line in the northern suburbs of Washington following Gov. Martin O'Malley's and the state Board of Public Works' unanimous approval of the P3 competitive solicitation process.

Texas voters approved a $2 billion water bond program Tuesday in the largest of many bond related issues voters decided in the off-year.

Securities and Exchange Commission chairman Mary Jo White said Wednesday that a 2012 risk alert on whether underwriters are doing enough to ensure the accuracy of offering documents is an example of how behind-the-scenes SEC action protects investors.

The Greater Wenatchee, Wash., Regional Events Center Public Facilities District has agreed to pay $20,000 — the first financial penalty the SEC has assessed against a municipal bond issuer — to settle Securities and Exchange Commission charges that it misled investors of bonds used to finance the construction of an events center and ice hockey arena.

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board announced Monday that it has begun a multi-year campaign to expand outreach to state and local issuers, emphasizing how they can use the MSRB's EMMA website for disclosure compliance and education.

The Virginia Supreme Court issued a ruling Thursday that allows the Elizabeth River Tunnels project to move forward as a tolled facility.

Groups active in the municipal market are urging federal agencies to exempt tender option bonds and nonprofit and state agency student loan organizations from risk retention rules imposed by the Dodd-Frank Act.

Bellevue School District in King County, Wash. is planning to sell $100 million of unlimited tax general obligation bonds in a competitive offering next week to fund school construction throughout the district.

A federal court in New York delayed the sentencing of former UBS Banker Mark Zaino to Dec. 12 for his role in rigging municipal bond contracts.

The Internal Revenue Service is auditing $43.26 million of subordinate revenue bonds that the Coral Springs, Fla., Improvement District sold in 2007 to finance water and sewer system improvements.

New head of state highway officials group seeks national economic stability through sustainable federal transportation funding.

The Treasury Department announced Thursday that it is resuming the sale of state and local government series securities at 1 p.m., EDT, after the longest suspension in 17 years.

Sentencing for convicted bid-rigger David Rubin has been pushed back to Dec. 3 from Oct. 18, at the request of defense attorneys who said they needed more time to prepare an analysis disputing the $11.5 million of restitution federal prosecutors are seeking.

The Securities and Exchange Commission's Office of Municipal Securities will gain another attorney next month when Goldman Sachs' Edward Fierro comes aboard Nov. 4.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority has fined three firms a total $115,000, and ordered two of them to pay $35,441 of restitution to customers, for violating municipal securities fair pricing, fair dealing and primary offering disclosure rules.