DALLAS (Standard&Poor's) Aug. 24, 2006--Standard&Poor's Ratings Services assigned its 'AA-' rating, and stable outlook, to Springdale, Ark.'s $129 million series 2006 sales and use tax refunding and improvement bonds. The bonds are scheduled to sell on Sept. 6. The rating reflects the city's closed flow of funds, closed lien, and mandatory early redemption clauses in the bonds' legal provisions; prominent role in northwest Arkansas' regional economic base, which has consistently led to robust population and sales tax revenue growth for more than a decade; and sound maximum annual debt service coverage. Based on a conservative, zero-growth scenario, revenues from the 12 most recent months alone would generate 1.3x maximum annual debt service coverage. The potential retail
