Southwest

With the oil and gas sectors slowing, Texas saw sales tax revenues were up a modest year-over-year 1.1% in April, according to state Comptroller Glenn Hegar.

After a petition drive and series of legal battles, the Topeka, Kan., City Council rejected a proposal to buy the Heartland Park racetrack with state sales tax and revenue bonds.

Standard & Poor’s has shifted its outlook on Mesa, Ariz.’s utility debt to negative after transfers of revenue to the city’s general fund.

A push for $10 billion of pension bonds in the last days of the Colorado General Assembly died as the state Senate Finance Committee voted to postpone the bill indefinitely.

From fracking to plastic shopping bags, local governments are seeing unprecedented loss of control in the 2015 Texas Legislature, according to the Texas Municipal League.

Arizona gets a ratings lift from Moody's Investors Service to Aa2 from Aa3 as analysts cite efforts to stabilize the state budget.

In the biggest month of the year for revenue, Arkansas reported a 6.4% increase compared to the same month last year, with fiscal year income 3.9% above forecast.

With its triple-A ratings solidly intact, Utah claimed $16 million of interest savings on two issues worth $220 million that priced competitively last month, officials said.

Texas lawmakers are making another attempt to put limits on or bar capital appreciation bonds as their 2015 session enters its final month.

Competing with Texas for the right to store high-level radioactive waste from other states, New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez says her state deserves top consideration.