Southeast

As Jefferson County, Ala., slogs through the nation's largest municipal bankruptcy, at least 10 bills that provide various forms of fiscal relief for the county are being advertised in advance of this year's regular legislative session, which begins Feb. 7.

Louisville, Ky.-based Hilliard Lyons has hired Chicago-based banker Alexander Rorke to lead an expansion of its public finance banking business across the firm's 13-state footprint.

As of Jan. 1, the consulting firm Wilbur Smith Associates no longer exists in name, and its headquarters have moved from Columbia, S.C., to Cambridge, Mass.

Kentucky and Indiana officials announced last week that they reached consensus on a basic plan to finance and build the $2.6 billion Ohio River Bridges Project.

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal last week approved the final report of the Water Supply Task Force, which outlines water supply initiatives and recommendations that will be financed with $300 million of bonds over four years.

The U.S. Supreme Court has scheduled a conference for Jan. 13 at which the panel will decide whether to allow former Jefferson County Commissioner Larry Langford’s appeal to go forward.

The Birmingham City Council will meet in the next two weeks to work on plans to ask voter approval for a $75 million general obligation bond issue, according to the Birmingham News.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has sued a Georgia attorney and his client for securities fraud over their failure to disclose the client's criminal indictment in bond documents for $2.96 million of industrial redevelopment revenue bonds sold by Raleigh County, W. Va., in 2006 and 2007 that are now in default.

Moody’s Investors Service has downgraded the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority to A3 from A2.

Louisiana Attorney General James Caldwell filed a federal suit last week in the District of Columbia to overturn a change in offshore oil royalty rules that could require the state to repay royalties and cut its anticipated future royalties.