Southwest

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.

Healthy gains in income tax and sales tax collections pushed Oklahoma's state tax collection in July above July 2011 revenues despite a 42% plummet in natural gas and crude oil production taxes. It was the eighth straight month of declining energy severance tax revenues, but the state's overall economic indicators are positive, said State Treasurer Ken Miller on Thursday. Revenues totaled $854.9 million in the first month of fiscal 2013.