Economy

Moody’s Investors Service has dropped Juneau County’s rating to A2 from A1 due to a weakened general fund and a negative balance in its health services fund. The downgrade affects $12.4 million of outstanding general obligation debt.

Moody’s Investors Service last week upgraded HealthPartners Inc.’s rating to A3 from Baa1, citing a track record of profitability with improved performance in fiscal 2008 and 2009.

The Detroit Economic Development Corp. last week approved an inducement resolution to issue $15 million of recovery zone facility bonds to finance construction of a new medical office building in the city.

DALLAS — New Orleans is spending millions to purchase a hospital damaged by Hurricane Katrina and renovate the vacant facility to serve residents of the city’s east side.

DALLAS — Harris County, Tex., is considering two options for refunding $205 million of toll-road put bonds on Thursday.

Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell Monday called for a special session of the legislature to begin Aug. 23 to address the state’s $472.5 million transportation funding gap.

WASHINGTON — About $23 billion of transit bonds that are backed by sales tax have held onto strong credit ratings despite taking a hit from the economic recession and retaining their negative credit outlook, Moody’s Investors Service said Friday in a special report.

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Georgia Department of Transportation is moving forward with its second public-private partnership project — a long-discussed multi-modal passenger terminal in downtown Atlanta.

CHICAGO — Fitch Ratings stripped $9.3 million of special-assessment revenue bonds from the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority of their investment-grade rating Wednesday.

ALAMEDA, Calif. – California Treasurer Bill Lockyer raised eyebrows this week by questioning the viability of some segments of the state’s proposed high-speed passenger train system.

WASHINGTON — Congress is unlikely to authorize the creation of a national infrastructure bank before next summer, despite its potential to spur more private investment in transportation, water, and energy projects, transportation stakeholders from the public and private sectors said yesterday.

CHICAGO — Illinois and the Regional Transportation Authority of Illinois were able to overcome a steady stream of bad fiscal news as they entered the market this week with deals that drew strong-enough investor interest to keep the risk premium on interest rates down.

Clark County is expected to sell $236.85 million of revenue bonds on Tuesday to finance street, highway, and transit projects.

California Treasurer Bill Lockyer Wednesday announced the appointment of Christine Solich as executive director of the California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Miami-Dade County, Fla., next week is pricing $524 million of tax-exempt aviation revenue bonds in what is expected to be the last major financing for Miami International Airport’s $6.49 billion capital improvement plan.

New Jersey Transit Wednesday approved a $1.79 billion operating budget and a $1.35 billion capital plan for fiscal 2011, which began July 1.

West Virginia estimated it saved about $4 million on a $37.7 million general obligation road refinancing deal last week after Moody’s Investors Service upgraded the state’s GO rating to Aa1 from Aa2.

WASHINGTON — Congress returns to work this week still lacking a clear game plan for extending bond programs and other federal assistance for state and local governments, despite pleas for the extensions from governors meeting in Boston through the weekend.

Travis County Healthcare District, which operates as Central Health, plans to seek authorization from Travis County commissioners for $18 million of 20-year certificates of obligation to finance a new health clinic.

A bond package designed to ease transportation woes in Austin grew by $5 million to $90 million in a revised proposal released last week. The City Council is expected to vote later this month to put the general obligation bond proposal on the November general election ballot.