Bonds

Cook County, Illinois, officials released a $9.89 billion executive budget recommendation Thursday, after saying in a press briefing Wednesday that the nation’s second-most populous county will see no new taxes or layoffs. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said 56 open positions are being cut. The eliminated positions were ones the county anticipated filling with

Muni advocates are gearing up for a contentious tax fight next year, particularly if Kamala Harris should prevail in the presidential election, as Congressional Republicans are already digging in with a nationwide tour preemptively attacking the tax policies of the current Vice President. On Tuesday, Rep. Jason Smith R- Mo., Chairman of the House Ways

Third quarter trade count this year has remained steadily above the one million mark, a trend that the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board said could be a fundamental change in the market after a few less than consistent years. Trade counts increased 13% compared to the third quarter of 2023 and year-to-date average daily trade count

Chicago’s City Council deferred a vote on a $1.5 billion refunding bond measure. The deal, which includes a planned tender offer, drew opposition from some aldermen and Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza and triggered a credit recommendation from Municipal Market Analytics, which said on Tuesday that “this sale could be another signal that the city’s decade-long

Chattanooga, Tennessee, plans to price $80 million of bonds for a minor league baseball stadium that is pitched as the key to reviving a bedraggled part of the city. The Sports Authority of the County of Hamilton and City of Chattanooga, Tennessee will price $64.5 million in tax-exempt and $15.3 million in taxable bonds Oct.

The Puerto Rico Oversight Board and the bondholders opposed to the proposed plan of adjustment remain far apart, according to disclosures on the EMMA web site Tuesday night. U.S. District Court Judge Laura Taylor Swain earlier this week extended the bankruptcy stay and set a Dec. 11 omnibus hearing to hear the opposing bond parties’

Municipals were slightly weaker Wednesday for the fourth consecutive session following more losses in U.S. Treasuries while equities made gains. Muni yields were cut up to three basis points, depending on the scale, while UST yields rose four to five basis points, pushing the two-year UST yield above 4% for the first time since late

Marin General Hospital’s outlook was revised to positive from stable by Fitch Ratings, affecting $211 million in debt. The positive outlook reflects Fitch’s opinion the Greenbrae, California-based facility should continue to make additional progress over the next 12 months-24 months in improving efficiency and other operational measures, according to Monday’s ratings report. Those improvements are

Labor shortages, aging infrastructure, and affordable housing rank as the primary challenges facing public entities, according to respondents to HilltopSecurities’ 2024 Public Entity Survey. The survey, conducted between May and August, contains responses from more than 1,200 public sector employees and municipal market participants. Of those taking the survey, employees of cities, counties, and school

To better provide its clients with emission estimates and portfolio analytics in munis, along with other fixed-income asset classes, ICE has launched a climate transition risk solution. Along with ICE’s current coverage of sovereign, corporate equity, and private companies, the new solution allows clients to “assess and benchmark their financed emissions across a comprehensive range of fixed-income

The Biden administration Tuesday announced the strictest-ever safe drinking water rule that will require almost all cities to replace their toxic lead pipes within the next 10 years. “Folks, what is a government for if it cannot protect the public health?” Biden asked a crowd Tuesday in Milwaukee, where he announced the rule. The  Lead

November’s election carries potentially high stakes for universities and colleges that have already found themselves facing the glare of Capitol Hill’s spotlight over the past year. The new administration and Congress are expected to take up tax reform next year, which could reshape the tax treatment of nonprofit higher-education institutions. House Republicans have criticized the

Fitch Ratings and Moody’s Ratings downgraded Xavier University, a private Jesuit college in Cincinnati, to A-minus from A and to Baa1 from A3, respectively, last week.  Fitch pointed to the school’s decision to take on more debt to finance the construction of a new College of Osteopathic Medicine at a time when operating performance has

Municipals were weaker Tuesday with the largest losses out long while U.S. Treasuries saw narrow gains on the day and equities ended up. Triple-A yields rose by up to five basis points, depending on the scale, while USTs saw yields flat or lower by a basis point or two. The two-year muni-to-Treasury ratio Tuesday was

An ongoing investigation into overcharging on San Diego’s state route 125 toll road found implementation of the back-office system encountered problems from the onset, and San Diego Association of Governments’ executive management failed to address the situation in a timely manner, including informing the board of directors. SANDAG’s independent performance auditor released two investigations Monday

Illinois’ bonds are underappreciated, Wells Fargo Head of Municipal Markets Strategy Vikram Rai said Monday as he released a report on the state titled, “Why Illinois Beckons.” “All the negative news was drowning out all the positive news and the positive developments about Illinois’ improving story,” Rai said during Monday’s municipal market weekly call, noting

The District of Columbia is saddled with slowed jobs and economic growth, but has still managed to score a boost in five credit ratings from Moody’s Ratings. “Moody’s upgrades are a testament to the district’s solid financial management and strong economic fundamentals,” said Chief Financial Officer Glen Lee.  “We are extremely pleased by this recognition

Investors have been pumping larger amounts of cash into muni mutual funds over the past several weeks due to positive returns for the asset class and some clarity from the first Federal Reserve rate cut, with some market participants believing a larger inflow cycle is only beginning. Mutual funds saw inflows to the tune of

A new board of supervisors and a new name shouldn’t impact the first bond sale by the district enveloping Disney’s theme parks since Florida stripped Disney of its control of the district, but Hurricane Milton’s impact is a concern, analysts said. The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, which had been the Reedy Creek Improvement District,

San Francisco-based Wells Fargo has named Elena M. Gallo as its new head of government banking, where she will oversee the bank’s commercial banking division that serves more than 3,000 government agencies, public utilities, transportation, and housing authorities across 43 states and the District of Columbia. Gallo will replace Mara Holley, who is retiring after

When Chicago’s City Council meets on Wednesday, it will decide whether to sell controversial refunding bonds and deal with Friday’s resignation of the entire seven-member Chicago Public Schools board. According to the agenda, the finance committee at its Oct. 2 meeting approved an ordinance authorizing the refunding of the city’s Series 2024 general obligation and