Southwest

Standard & Poor's put Glendale, Ariz.'s certificates of participation on negative watch as the city prepares to issue $100 million of debt to help a private investor buy the Phoenix Coyotes National Hockey League team.

Oklahoma's cumulative $16.5 billion of unfunded pension liabilities is unsustainable and could damage the state's bond ratings, Treasurer Ken Miller said Tuesday.

DALLAS — A wave of financial emergencies brought on by deep cuts in Texas education spending will bring additional credit scrutiny to school districts but not necessarily downgrades, Standard & Poor's analysts said Tuesday.

DALLAS — As Texas urban transit authorities continue to expand light-rail lines to ease congestion, they are also investing heavily in their workhorse buses, combining local and federal funds to develop cleaner, more efficient systems.

DALLAS — The North Texas Tollway Authority’s decision in 2007 to pay $3.2 billion for the right to build the Sam Rayburn Tollway was a mistake that has limited its ability to take on new projects, according to NTTA chairman Victor ­Vandergriff.

The Internal Revenue Service is auditing $7 million of revenue bonds issued in 2007 by the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority for Confluence Energy LLC to finance the construction of a wood-pellet manufacturing plant in Kremmling, Colo.

DALLAS — The Texas A&M University System will offer one of the largest Southwest deals Tuesday in a lean municipal market.

AUSTIN — Texas faces a severe budget shortfall of $15-$27 billion over the next two years, but a deeper threat to its AA-plus credit rating is a structural imbalance in how it finances schools, according to Standard & Poor’s analyst Horacio Aldrete-Sanchez.

DALLAS — Texas schools are waiting to see how deeply the Legislature cuts their funding before seeking more bond authority from taxpayers, finance experts say.

DALLAS — The Kansas House has approved a plan that resolves a revenue shortfall in fiscal 2011 by cutting state aid to local school districts and reducing salaries for some government executives.