Southwest

El Paso will buy downtown office space with certificates of obligation as City Hall is demolished to make way for a new debt-financed minor league baseball stadium.

Travis County, Texas, voters should vote in November to raise the hospital district's property tax rate by 5 cents to support construction of a new medical school in Austin, state Sen. Kirk Watson said Monday.

Travis County, Tex., should issue certificates of obligation to finance its share of a $343 million courthouse in Austin under a public-private partnership, according to a committee appointed to study the matter.

Amid one of the largest redevelopment projects in its history, Fort Worth, Tex., will go to market with $257 million of debt for new money and refunding as the city's economy steadily improves.

A unanimous vote is unlikely as trustees of Houston Independent School District's vote on putting a $1.9 billion general obligation bond referendum to voters in November

Houston will spend $395,000 to audit city employee pension plans to get information that Mayor Annise Parker said is needed to protect taxpayers and public employees.

Oklahoma City collected $12 million from its 5.5% hotel tax in fiscal 2012, up almost 10% from fiscal 2011 and $668,000 more than expected when the budget was developed.

Arkansas general fund collections in July totaled $461.2 million, up $26.4 million from July 2011 and $15.7 million more than expected.

Tribal casinos in Arizona made a $25.1 million payment to the state in the second quarter of 2012, the Department of Gaming said last week.

Supporters of a plan to overturn Glendale's new 0.7% sales tax have appealed a court ruling that would keep the referendum off the November ballot.