Southwest

A federal indictment of former El Paso County, Texas, Judge Anthony Cobos implicates financial advisor Coastal Securities in a fraud scheme surrounding a $40 million bond refunding in 2007.

The Texas Tech University System will get the Southwest bond market rolling with $198 million of revenue bonds after a lean year for higher education.

A coalition of 63 Texas school districts, including some of the largest in the state, filed a lawsuit Dec. 22 contending the current system for financing public education is unconstitutional.

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin said last week that the state must repair and maintain its capitol building in Oklahoma City despite the outlook for a flat general fund budget in fiscal 2013.

The Oklahoma Board of Equalization last week adopted an official revenue estimate for fiscal 2013 that will give budget writers $400 million more than was available for the fiscal 2012 budget.

Leaders of the Democratic minority in the Kansas Legislature have proposed a 14-point job growth plan that would be financed with gambling revenue rather than the general fund.

Pulaski Technical College officials decided last week to build a new bond-financed culinary school at an existing site rather than a location in downtown Little Rock, Ark., promoted by Mayor Mark Stodola and a coalition of 48 businesses and organizations.

El Mirage, Ariz., officials filed a formal response last week to allegations that the city improperly financed a campaign to sway voters in favor of an $8.5 million general obligation bond election.

A Texas oversight agency has turned down an oil refinery's request for a tax break that could have cost local governments and school districts millions of dollars in refunds and lost property tax revenue.

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper plans to restore school funding after he learned that fourth-quarter revenues are running $231 million ahead of projections.