Council approves 2015 liability insurance budget; staff to confirm auxiliary police coverage

The Common Council on Jan. 20 approved the city's 2015 liability insurance budget and directed staff to confirm whether auxiliary police are covered under the policy. Finance Director Vito presented the budget and answered council questions about coverage for auxiliary officers.

Councilors approved the budget by voice vote. After the motion and second, Councilor (name not specified in transcript) asked whether auxiliary police were covered. Finance Director Vito said, "I'm inclined to say yes, they're covered under, our public entity liability policy. But I can double check," and later added he would "do some checking on that." The question arose after a concern that an auxiliary officer had been told they lacked coverage while performing duty.

The exchange occurred during the council's consideration of the liability insurance item on the agenda; the council carried the motion after discussion. No specific statute or policy was cited during the discussion.

Discussion: Councilors raised the coverage question but no formal amendment or further action was taken beyond the staff commitment to verify coverage and report back. The record shows a voice vote approving the budget; no roll-call vote totals were recorded in the transcript.

Next steps: Finance Director Vito will verify whether auxiliary officers are covered under the city's public entity liability policy and report back to the council; timing for that follow-up was not specified in the meeting.