Southwest

The citizens bond committee reviewing projects for inclusion in Austin’s general obligation bond election has cut the total proposal to $659 million from a potential $1.5 billion.

A total of $52.7 billion of Texas public school district general obligation bonds were covered by the Permanent School Fund bond guarantee program as of Aug. 31, 2011. Unused capacity totaled $18 billion.

Trustees of Pulaski Technical College voted last week to delay a property tax election until the measure can be the only tax item on the ballot.

The popular titles of two bond-related Arkansas constitutional amendments to be decided at November’s general election were approved last week by Attorney General Dustin McDaniel.

The Glendale, Ariz., City Council is considering options for raising the city’s sales tax and property tax rates to cover an anticipated $35 million revenue shortfall in fiscal 2013.

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service is looking into the tax compliance of $195 million of lease revenue bonds issued by the Pima County, Ariz., Industrial Development Authority in 2008 for a nonprofit borrower that used them to finance the development of a detention facility for Clark County, Nev.

DALLAS — Colorado's Regional Transportation District will not seek voter approval of a sales tax increase in November that would allow completion of the FasTracks rail and bus system on its current schedule.

DALLAS — Seeking to take advantage of historically low interest rates on the long and short end of the market, Houston brought $371 million of refunding bonds to market Tuesday through a syndicate led by Jefferies & Co.

El Paso County, Texas, commissioners last week approved George K. Baum & Co. as the replacement for Coastal Securities as the county’s financial advisor in a 3-to-2 vote.

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin asked for an audit last week of the American Indian Cultural Center and Museum after three lawmakers opposed to a state bond issue for the facility called for the oversight.