Houston City Controller Green to Speak at Bloomberg State & Muni Finance Conference
Conference to Address Key Issues of the State & Municiap Bond Market
Houston TX - Ronald C. Green, Houston's City Controller, will participate in the "Financing Infrastructure in the Post Build America Bond Era" panel during the Bloomberg State & Municipal Finance Conference on Wednesday, October 3 in New York City.
Issuers from California to Maine sold $188 billion of Build Americas in the program's 21 months, data compiled by Bloomberg show. Congress has resisted renewing it amid Republican opposition to the program, which subsidizes 35 percent of issuers' interest costs. At a time when local-government interest rates are close to 45-year lows, Build Americas offer a yield boost that has also lured international buyers who don't benefit from traditional munis' tax exemption. What is the outlook for a National Infrastructure Bank? What is the best way to pay for infrastructure? Can public sector authorities act more like private sector developers? What's the best way to plan for infrastructure? Should building and designing infrastructure fall to the public or private sector? Where should private investors participate?
As Controller for the City of Houston, Green has been responsible for re-financing several large muni bond packages in the past two years, saving Houston over $200 million in the next decade without lengthening the indebtedness.
The Conference at Lighthouse International will convene public sector policy makers, labor leaders, pension fund managers, institutional investors and issuers to debate current issues central to state and municipal finance and evaluate opportunities for investors and participants in the municipal bond market.
"The Bloomberg conference gives individual issuers the opportunity to interact with the individual investors and fund managers on a personal level," says Green. "That's valuable to all concerned because we can provide a 'real time' view of our city-how far out of the recession we have come and the positive growth we are experiencing.
"Nearly all of America's cities have aging infrastructure, so there will continue to be a huge need for rebuilding and adding new infrastructure," continues Green. "It's especially true for cities with significant growth-like Houston-with increased traffic and the needs that arise with over 25,000 new single family homes and 18,000 new rentals annually."
Among other topics, speakers will discuss recent recommendations by the Securities and Exchange Commission for improving the structure of the municipal securities market; the impact of municipal bankruptcies; new opportunities for revenue through private and public partnerships; and what lies ahead in the fourth quarter. Additionally, state treasurers, local government officials and economic experts will discuss the state of the market and opportunities in places such as Delaware, Illinois, Kansas City and Virginia.
"As the political season heats up, state and municipal finance issues continue to be top-of-mind as Americans are deciding who they want as representation on the local, state and federal levels," said Robert Bierman, head of Bloomberg LINK. "During this Conference, attendees will hear from a range of experts on the most important issues facing state and municipal governments and leave with insight into opportunities upon which they can act."
This Conference is sponsored by National Public Finance Guarantee, DIVER by Lumesis, Trident Municipal Research and Assured Guarantu. For more information on the program and speakers, please visit:http://www.bloomberglink.com/muni-ny. The hashtag for this event is #BBmuni.
Ronald C. Green was elected Houston City Controller in December 2009, after serving three terms as a Council Member At Large on Houston's City Council where he also served as Chair of the Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee. Green earned both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Houston, as well as a law degree from Texas Southern University's Thurgood Marshall School of Law. He is licensed to practice law in the State of Texas, the District of Columbia, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. Green is also a licensed real estate broker.
About Bloomberg LINK: Bringing the power of Bloomberg to the executive conference business, Bloomberg LINK produces invitation-only, in-person gatherings that combine world-class editorial programming with peer-to-peer networking amongst the who's who in influential communities. In this environment, participants engage in open discussions that lead to learning from each other's expertise and experience. For more information, please visit www.bloomberglink.com.