Meristem Advisors LLC

GOVERNMENTS

Municipalities

                                                                           Municipalities have a

                                                                           wider ranging variety of

                                                                           needs than most

                                                                           issuers, and often

                                                                           consider a wider range

                                                                           of possible financing

options as a result.  Meristem Advisors works with municipal clients to consider their alternatives in order to finance projects less expensively. For development projects, we can evaluate the merits and costs of Tax Increment Financing Districts or Special Service Areas.  We can also help municipalities look at direct and private placements in addition to more traditional negotiated or competitive bond sales. 

Libraries

                                                                            Meristem Advisors

                                                                            understands that Library

                                                                            Directors are charged

                                                                            with financial

                                                                            accountability, often

                                                                            without significant

support, and we understand the stress that comes with unfamiliar ground.  Financial management is broad and complex, encompassing a wide range of topics, from basic budget and planning, to tax levies, capital planning and new building plans.  Meristem Advisors is your fiduciary to provide support and assist with planning.  We seek to clarify complex concepts and distill them into manageable tasks that can be confidently executed so that both staff and the Board feel they are being proactive.

                                                                            Meristem Advisors

                                                                            understands that School

                                                                            Superintendents and

                                                                            Business Managers are

                                                                            charged with financial

                                                                            accountability in a field defined by regulation. State laws place numerous restrictions on how local school districts can borrow.  After working with these laws throughout his career, Jamie Rachlin is intimately familiar with how they are applied and can help districts strategically use their borrowing potential to keep facilities safe and modern. Meristem Advisors is here as your fiduciary to provide support and assist with your borrowing strategy and needs, to simplify the process and coordinate execution.  We seek to clarify complex concepts and distill them into manageable tasks that can be confidently executed so that both staff and the Board feel they are being proactive.

                                                                            Water and sewer

                                                                            agencies are

                                                                            increasingly under

                                                                            pressure to comply

                                                                            with federal consent

decrees, reduce system losses, and upgrade technology.  These pressures are exacerbated by a changing climate, resulting in significant capital costs that require funding.  In addition to traditional borrowing strategies, Meristem Advisors can help utility departments and agencies explore alternative strategies for meeting these requirements. Meristem Advisors can assist with modeling and projecting the impact of such strategies on long term financial health to enable sound decisions to be made.

School Districts

Water and Sewer Agencies

Forest Preserve, Conservation and Park Districts

Jamie Rachlin, President of Meristem Advisors and a Board member of Openlands, understands the importance of parks and preserves for connecting people with nature and recreational alternatives.  As wider and wider areas of Chicagoland become developed and urbanized, and technology increasingly isolates us from contemplation, expanding opportunities for people to participate in nature and outdoor recreational activity becomes more important, as does preserving space to share with wildlife and establishing resilient buffers against a changing environment.  Meristem Advisors can explore both traditional and innovative ways to help forest preserve and conservation districts achieve these objectives.