Southwest

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.

Austin's 15-member bond advisory committee will meet in early January to begin trimming an initial $1.3 billion project list for a general obligation bond package expected to go to city voters next November.

A ruling that Colorado's school funding formula violates the state constitution is drawing scrutiny in several states that face similar legal challenges.

A forecast released last week by Texas Comptroller Susan Combs predicts that an expanding economy will generate an unexpected $1.6 billion for state coffers over the next two years.

General fund revenues in November exceeded November 2011 collections by 22.6% thanks to increased oil exploration and production, Oklahoma finance director Preston Doerflinger said last week.

A top aide to Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback outlined a new school finance plan last week that he said would increase funding for about half of the 283 school districts in the state without harming the others,

Opponents of a city subsidy for a hotel in downtown Wichita, Kan., have apparently amassed enough petition signatures to force a citywide vote on the proposed project.