Southwest

DALLAS - Travis County, Texas, commissioners Tuesday set a Nov. 8 election for a two-part request for $214.9 million of general obligation bonds.

DALLAS - Amid rising sales tax revenue and an improving economy, Phoenix is considering a bond issue to revive plans for a $288 million extension of the metro area's new light-rail system.

DALLAS - Standard & Poor's on Tuesday downgraded $7.9 million of revenue bonds for a speculative West Texas jail to CC from A-minus after Jones County officials indicated plans to default on the debt if they cannot find a tenant for the facility.

Travis County commissioners are expected to vote Tuesday night to call a Nov. 8 election on a bond referendum totaling at least $194.3 million.

The North East Independent School District's citizens planning and advisory committee has recommended that the San Antonio district call a general obligation bond election in November.

Texas sales tax revenues totaled $1.86 billion in July, up 10.3% from collections in July 2010.

Voters in the Tulsa suburb of Owasso will go to the polls Oct. 11 to decide on a two-part public improvement program totaling $25 million of general obligation bonds.

The Garland County Quorum Court last week called for a special election on Oct. 11 for two proposed sales tax increases totaling 1%. The revenue would finance construction and operations of a new county jail in Hot Springs.

DALLAS — While the volume of municipal bond sales in the Southwest fell nearly 35% to $17.8 million in the first half of 2011 compared to a year earlier, industry executives haven't lacked things to do.

DALLAS - Last week's downgrade of the United States' credit by Standard & Poor's is a sign that "our nation is in trouble," Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Wednesday in a speech in San Antonio to a national convention of 1,300 state legislators.