Southwest

Oklahoma County commissioners last week approved initial steps last week to develop a new 2,800-bed jail that would replace the county’s 13-story lockup in downtown Oklahoma City.

A plan to rebate $2.25 million of city hotel tax revenue to developers of a new hotel in downtown Wichita was rejected last week by 61% of voters.

State revenues in Kansas topped $261 million in February, the Department of Revenue said last week.

Arkansas’ net available state revenues in the first eight months of fiscal 2012 came to a total of $3 billion, an increase of $54.2 million from the same period of fiscal 2011 and $20.2 million more than expected.

The Arkansas General Assembly adopted the state’s $4.73 billion general budget for fiscal 2013 on Friday, wrapping up the biannual fiscal session in 19 days instead of the allowed 45.

DALLAS — A panel of 22 Texas lawmakers has been formed to conduct a comprehensive review of the state's school finance system in the wake of five recent lawsuits challenging how Texas funds local school districts.

DALLAS — New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez is considering whether to approve or veto provisions for $137 million of bond projects.

DALLAS — Taking advantage of low interest rates in a recovering economy, Mesa, Ariz., will sell about $100 million of refunding debt Thursday while retaining capacity for new-money deals.

Austin is refunding the first debt it issued for an ambitious flood-protection project that is finally underway along downtown's Waller Creek, after decades of planning.

The Oklahoma Board of Equalization last week approved a new state revenue estimate for fiscal 2013 that totals $6.6 billion, which represents an increase of $47 million from the December estimate and is $168 million higher than in fiscal 2012.