Southwest

DALLAS — An Austin bond committee that has recommended $575 million for the November ballot is providing an alternative that will leave room for an urban rail project long championed by re-elected Mayor Lee Leffingwell.

DALLAS — The Houston Independent School District is refunding $186.5 million of variable-rate debt in one of the largest school bond issues in Texas this year.

DALLAS — When financial markets were collapsing in 2008, the North Texas Tollway Authority faced the challenge of raising $3.2 billion to pay for its most ambitious project, the State Highway 121 toll road connecting the far northern Dallas suburbs to the NTTA's existing system.

El Paso must amend its plan to present voters in November with a single ballot question for a general obligation bond deal worth as much as $835 million, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said last week.

Texas collected $2.07 billion from sales tax in April, up 11% from the same period in 2011.

A recent poll found a slim majority of Arkansas voters oppose a plan to raise the sales tax rate to finance a $1.8 billion highway construction program.

Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe last week certified the official revenue forecast for fiscal 2012 to provide an additional $39.4 million in collections for the year, which ends June 30.

Maricopa County supervisors approved a debt refinancing plan last week that provides funding for improvements to baseball spring training facilities in the Phoenix area.

DALLAS — Voters across Texas approved most of the $1.8 billion of bond issues on local ballots Saturday, led by San Antonio's $596 million offering.

DALLAS — The Kansas House adopted a $14.4 billion budget for fiscal 2013 late Tuesday that takes money from Department of Transportation revenues to raise public education funding by $50 million.