March 2023 - Ehlers, Inc.

The Banks, The FDIC & You

Understanding the SVB Failure and Protecting Public Deposits

Imagine it’s 1946 and you’re on the set of “It’s a Wonderful Life” “¦Depositors confront George Bailey outside the Bailey Building & Loan, demanding their money be returned. Mr. Bailey responds with a brief tutorial on the basic operating structure of banks, stating “You’re thinking of this place all wrong! As if I had the money back in a safe. The money’s not here. Your money’s in Joe’s house”¦right next to yours. And in the Kennedy’s house, and Mrs. Macklin’s house, and a hundred others.”

Development Due Diligence

Best Practices for Tax Incremental Finance Districts

Municipalities across the country, just like every other sector of the economy in today’s environment, are burdened by rising costs. Operating budgets used to finance day-to-day operations, pay obligations, and maintain public infrastructure place upward pressure on property taxes. It’s now more important than ever for communities to scrutinize the application of tax increment financing (TIF) and implement best practices when establishing a tax increment district (TID) for private development.

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Rock Solid!

Springfield Public Schools combines strong planning & community engagement to complete successful bond referendum

Ask Keith Kottke, Superintendent of Springfield Public Schools, how he’s doing, and he’ll likely say, “Rock Solid!” with an upbeat tone. “Rock solid” could also describe the District’s planning, community engagement and ability to pivot so it could achieve a successful bond referendum in Spring 2021. In Fall 2019, the District began educating taxpayers on a proposed school expansion and remodeling project. Community engagement was tremendous. Student families across all grade levels were excited for the planned improvements, while agricultural property owners were anxious about the project’s potential tax impact.

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Executive Presence

The Foundation of Strong Communication Skills

How you show up in a variety of situations goes a long way toward influencing how you are perceived by others. You send a strong message to others every time you deliver a presentation, build connections during Council or Board meetings and workshops, or react amid tense discussions. It matters not only to your professional reputation, but to your ability to grow in your role and promote your thought leadership among those who you work and interact with every day.

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Key Financial Indicators

Turning Numbers into Knowledge

So, how do public organizations use their wealth of numbers to gain insight into and improve the financial health of their communities? The short answer is this: Key Financial Indicators (KFIs), or metrics that track, measure, and analyze the financial profile of a local government. Generally, local governments use KFIs to inform the budget development process, guide long-term financial planning and support public policy discussions. They also provide for more meaningful comparisons with peer communities as they often take the form of ratios, which can control for certain factors, such as population (e.g., debt per capita) and size of tax base.

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Market Commentary

Buckle Up! It’s a Bumpy Ride…

Since the calendar turned to 2023, the market’s gaze has been fixated on largely one thing: inflation and the Federal Reserve’s actions to conquer it. When Fed Chair Jerome Powell appeared before the Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday, March 7th, he was clear about the direction of Fed policy. “The latest economic data have come in stronger than expected, which suggests that the ultimate level of interest rates is likely to be higher than previously anticipated.” He added, “the process of getting inflation back down to 2% has a long way to go and is likely to be bumpy.” His words were prescient. The ride became very bumpy within days of his comments to Congress.

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Have questions or need more info?

Call 800-222-4545 or e-mail info@ehlers.com.

About Ehlers

A pioneer and regional leader in municipal advisory services since 1955, Ehlers helps clients build strong, vibrant and sustainable communities by delivering independent, integrated advice across all areas of public finance. We work with more than 1,500 local governments, schools, and public agencies across five states; placing our clients’ needs and best interests at the center of everything we do.