Wisconsin

Midwestern voters loosened their purse strings to approve Kansas City, Missouri’s $800 million infrastructure referendum but held fast against St. Louis’ public financing request for a new soccer stadium.

Kansas City, Missouri’s $800 million request is the biggest bond measure on April 4 ballots in Midwestern states, where voters will decide the fate of more than $2 billion of municipal borrowing requests.

Wisconsin voters are looking more favorably on school district’ borrowing requests, signing off on a record $1.35 billion of debt last year, according to a new study.

Issuers in the Midwest sold $87.2 billion of municipal bonds in 2016, a 23.4% year-over-year increase that was the biggest of any region.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker laid out a two-year, $76 billion budget that offers a mix of tax cuts, more school funding, and the lowest bonding authorization in years.

The bonds of 16 affordable housing properties affiliated with Global Ministries Fellowship were downgraded by S&P Global Ratings, sending 14 more of the credits to junk.

The Internal Revenue Service has initiated an audit of $26.5 million of zero coupon bonds issued by an authority in Wisconsin last August to monetize a grant Dallas gave to a company redeveloping buildings that housed the old Statler Hotel and Dallas Public Library.

Republicans in Wisconsin legislature ask planners for more realistic estimates of highway project costs.

The cost of major road projects in Wisconsin is twice as much as highway planners estimated, audit finds.

Wisconsin expects $454 million more in general fund taxes will be collected through the next two-year budget cycle as Gov. Scott Walker prepares to release a new budget next month.

Wisconsin hits the market with its first sale of the New Year to refund $523.6 million of appropriation- backed bonds with hopes of hitting double digit savings even with the post-election rise in rates.

Wisconsin could net up to $41 billion of new road revenue by 2050 with tolls on its interstate highways.

State and federal judges in Wisconsin approved final settlement agreements with Stifel and Royal Bank of Canada to conclude an eight-year effort by five school districts to recoup $200 million lost on a risky investment product.

The majority of school districts seeking to override Wisconsin-imposed property tax caps on operating revenue won, Moody’s Investors Service said.

Milwaukee’s $10 million competitive sale of water revenue bonds Thursday will mark the city’s first publicly offered issuance under the credit since 1958 as it launches a shift to more borrowing for water projects.

Wisconsin-based Sauk Prairie Memorial Hospital Inc.'s rating fell deeper into junk after a three-notch downgrade from Moody's Investors Service.

Milwaukee will take competitive bids Thursday on $180 million of revenue anticipation notes to smooth out the cash flow needs of Milwaukee Public Schools.

Wisconsin takes competitive bids Wednesday on $325 million of new-money general obligation bonds with its shortest call feature to date at seven-and-a-half years.

Wisconsin’s new budget director will take the helm next month as work begins in earnest on the state’s new biennial spending plan.

Wisconsin lawmakers are skeptical of Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed $6.5 billion, two-year transportation budget.