NY -- Standard&Poor's CreditWire 9/23/97 -- Standard&Poor's today assigned its single-'A' underlying (SPUR) rating to Hamilton County's $322.68 million revenue sales tax bonds series 1997A. The bonds are scheduled to sell Oct. 29, 1997. The SPUR rating reflects the healthy sales tax revenue growth and a large, and diverse economy anchored by the city of Cincinnati (double-'A'-plus G.O.) economic stability. These strengths are tempered by weaknesses that include: -- Adequate legal provisions requiring an additional bonds test (ABT) of 1.25 times(x) maximum annual debt service (MADS), -- A debt service reserve funded at only 50% of maximum annual debt service, and -- Moderate 1.9x coverage margin of future MADS. Margins are anticipated to decline to the
