Bond elections

Schools, public transit and medical research are among the beneficiaries of successful bond measures Tuesday in the Lone Star State.

Voters were willing to spend, approving most of the largest bond issues before them.

Heavyweight ballot measures include $3.5 billion from the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County and $3 billion for the Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas.

Government leaders at every level need funding for projects, and when the revenue is not available, voters are asked to approve bonds.

Phil Murphy wants to put a $500 million bond referendum before voters to help pay for making the state’s water systems lead-free.

The general obligation bond measure would allocate $9 billion to K-12 schools and $6 billion to the state's universities and community colleges.

If the bonds are approved in March, the junk-rated city plans to issue $250 million of new money, unlimited tax general obligation bonds in 2020.

Only a transportation bond measure survived to reach voters after the legislature's GOP minorities blocked three other borrowing proposals.

Janet Mills offered a slimmed-down compromise bond package in an effort to get borrowing proposals on the November ballot.

The funds would be used to expand the Houston area’s network of bus, rail and managed lane projects.

The city manager says Birmingham has no plan B to fund the project.

Investor confusion about Harvey, Illinois, and a local library district contributed to a municipal advisor and broker-dealer facing Securities and Exchange Commission charges in a bond offering gone wrong.

Janet Mills' embrace of bonds as a policy tool stands in contrast to predecessor Paul LePage.

If approved, the junk-rated city would issue $200 million of new money unlimited tax general obligation bonds in the summer of 2020.

Travis County has closed on a $330 million, triple-A rated deal to fund the civil and family courts building in downtown Austin.

The bond package includes $50 million for affordable housing in a first for the Ohio capital.

The top three bond proposals — all in excess of $1 billion — won easy approval even as some large school district measures fell short.

School districts dominate the list of 64 issuers seeking $11.2 billion of debt authority.

Voter approval rates this year for Wisconsin school district fiscal referendums fell short of last year’s record levels.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills is backing bonds for a state conservation initiative that her predecessor, conservative firebrand Paul LePage, delayed for the past four years.