Bonds

Illinois chipped away at its long-term obligations in fiscal 2022 with healthy tax revenue growth and federal funds allowing the state to halt a decade long dive deep into negative territory, according to a recently published interim audit. The state’s net position of governmental activities, which covers government services and tax collections and provides a

Bolingbrook, Illinois, was downgraded seven notches by S&P Global Ratings, which cited the Chicago suburb’s unwillingness to cover shortages on unrated sales tax revenue bonds as a management and governance risk. The village of 73,000said the downgrade “sets a harmful and disruptive precedent for any credit secured by specific revenues that do not pledge the

Federal Reserve officials quietly tightened internal restrictions on employees’ political activities after several reserve banks ran afoul of Congress over real or perceived engagement on issues within the domain of elected officials. The code of conduct, as updated in late 2022, now explicitly prohibits the kind of activity engaged in by Minneapolis Fed President Neel

Puerto Rico’s general fund net revenues were 28% above projections in December and 14% higher than those of December 2021. Through the first six months of the fiscal year, net revenues came in 14% ahead of projections and 3% ahead of July to December 2021, according to the Puerto Rico Department of the Treasury.  Net

In the midst of a supply and demand quandary — with the Federal Open Market Committee announcement looming on Wednesday — the municipal market began the week with a lackluster feel. That tone combined with the weakness in Treasuries on Monday — as investors were likely unwinding their longer-term trades and sitting on the sidelines

Chicago’s fiscal progress on structural balance and pensions drew rating upgrades and high-grade investors to recent bond deals but easing the longer term strains of pensions will require state intervention, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said.   Whether the city’s fiscal momentum can help Lightfoot win a second term is uncertain. She faces eight rivals vying for

Arizona’s launch last year of the most expansive school choice voucher program in the nation, which has proven to be costlier than expected, may be inspiring other states to follow suit with Iowa and Utah already enacting laws.  Katie Hobbs, Arizona’s new Democratic governor, called for the repeal of a 2022 law signed by Republican

Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital was awarded $135 million in grant funding by the California Health Facilities Financing Authority that it will use to expand pediatric programs in several counties. The grants are funded by issuing bonds through the Children’s Bond Act of 2018, a voter-approved bond measure that authorized the state to issue $1.5

Republicans have finalized their roster of subcommittee chairs for the powerful House Ways and Means committee, one of the municipal market’s key panels. Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Mike Kelly will lead the newly-renamed tax subcommittee, formerly known as the Select Revenue Measures subcommittee, which writes tax policy and oversees tax collections. The position puts him in

Municipals were steady, down a basis point or two in spots, ahead of a paltry new-issue calendar, courtesy of next week’s Federal Open Market Committee meeting. U.S. Treasuries were slightly weaker and equities ended in the black. The three-year muni-UST ratio was at 54%, the five-year at 57%, the 10-year at 62% and the 30-year

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the only solution to avoid a U.S. default crisis is for Congress to increase the federal debt limit, avoiding engaging with other proposed stopgap measures including short-term extensions or spending cuts. “It’s overly necessary for Congress to raise the debt limit, and I hope they do so in a timely

Merger activity among not-for-profit and for-profit hospitals dipped for a fifth consecutive year in 2022, with mega-mergers in the forefront of a sector dealing with operating challenges from inflation, a nursing shortage, and patient volume trends. Announced mergers and acquisitions dropped to 55 last year from 73 in 2021, continuing a downward course since 2017

The city of Miami and the county of Miami-Dade continue to rebound from the pandemic with unprecedented economic growth coupled with record low unemployment rates. Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava unveiled plans to create an authority to fund innovation while Miami City Mayor Francis Suarez focused on the environment and housing affordability. The Miami-Dade

Municipals were steady Thursday in the secondary market while an $830 million deal from the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority took focus in the primary. U.S. Treasuries yields rose after the fourth-quarter gross domestic product report was better than expected and equities ended up. The three-year muni-UST ratio was at 54%, the five-year at 57%,

Alaska’s governor is seeking new revenue sources to smooth out the volatility in state revenues that comes from its dependence on oil. Gov. Mike Dunleavy highlighted a proposed carbon management bill package during his State of the State speech on Monday that he says would capitalize on new markets in carbon reduction. “With support for

York County, South Carolina, priced $24.6 million of revenue bonds Wednesday to recoup costs incurred by the county to take over of a private water utility operation. The proceeds will cover a portion of the $36 million price tag York County paid to take over private firm Blue Granite Water’s water utility operations in the

Texas lawmakers are moving ahead with a huge property tax cut thanks to a record budget surplus.  The $130 billion general revenue fund biennial budget bills introduced last week by the Republican-controlled House and Senate include $15 billion in property tax cuts with the Senate version calling for increasing the homestead exemption to $70,00 from

Roger Millar, AASHTO’s new president and chief of Washington’s Department of Transportation, joins Caitlin Devitt to talk about the rollout of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, how a tight labor market and inflation are impacting capital plans, what a divided Congress means for transportation and an update on the Pacific Northwest’s high speed rail project. (24

Hawaii lawmakers will debate a plan by Gov. Josh Green that could alter the state’s tax structure. His proposal would shift some of the tax burden from middle-class Hawaiians to tourists, who fuel the state’s economy. Green took office Dec. 5, replacing termed-out David Ige, who served for eight years. “Today, we need new ideas,

Connecticut’s surplus projection for the current fiscal year received a $324.7 million boost. The Connecticut Office for Policy and Budget Management’s recently announced forecast for fiscal 2023, which runs through June, projects general fund revenue of $23.2 billion. Compared to December’s projections, revenues are up $265.3 million and expenses are down $59.4 million. That $324.7