Southwest

DALLAS — Houston-based St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System is preparing a $385 million revenue bond refunding deal through the Harris County Cultural Education Facilities Finance Corp.

DALLAS — Denver-based Catholic Health Initiatives expects to sell up to $1.2 billion of revenue bonds with a variety of structures in a multi-state deal tomorrow and Thursday.

The request by Oklahoma County Independent School District No. 6 for $142.1 million of general obligation bonds was approved by more than 80% of the voters in the Oklahoma City suburb of Deer Creek.

Oklahoma state agencies will have their budgets held to 95% of appropriations for a third consecutive month as the decline in revenue steepened, and spending will be cut by about $21 million, according to Treasurer Scott Meacham.

The latest estimate of New Mexico’s revenues predicts a $650 million shortfall for fiscal 2010, up from an estimated $433 million in August.

DALLAS — The Kansas Department of Commerce has offered an incentive package of tax revenues, tax credits, and cash totaling $229.5 million to sponsors of a proposed $414 million entertainment and office building development in a Kansas City suburb.

DALLAS — Regional transportation planners in the Phoenix area will take the first step toward a rail link to the western suburb of Glendale next week with the $878,000 study of the new route.

WASHINGTON — Federal lawmakers from Texas are pushing for the Treasury Department to change tax rules that are forcing the state’s school districts to forego, or pay more for, the bond financing of infrastructure projects because they cannot access the Texas Permanent School Fund’s bond guarantee program.

DALLAS — With tolling options closed, the Texas Transportation Commission is considering funding sources for a $2.2 billion expansion of heavily traveled Interstate 35 to six lanes from San Antonio to the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

DALLAS — Facing strong headwinds from the ongoing recession and a weak airline industry, Denver plans to issue $235 million of fixed-rate airport bonds next week and $100 million of variable-rate bonds in November.