Finance committee approves 2026 CIVMEC membership, directs staff to pursue RFP next year

On Sept. 9, 2025, the City Finance Committee voted to continue the city’s membership in CIVMEC for 2026 and directed staff to issue a full RFP for insurance coverage in 2026. The unanimous vote followed staff briefings on CIVMEC’s services, comparative options and a firm Sept. 15 enrollment deadline for retaining a member dividend. "If we don't sign by September 15, if we go through an RFP process and then decide to stay with CIVMEC, we would lose our dividend," said Mary Anne, a city staff member who briefed the committee on the matter.

The committee heard that CIVMEC membership covers liability lines tailored to municipal exposures, returns excess revenue to members via dividends and provides bundled services — including access to the NeoGov recruiting software — that the city would otherwise purchase separately. Mary Anne told the committee that the city’s 2025 premium was about $214,000 and that the 2026 premium would be roughly $220,000. She also said CIVMEC had offered services — for example, assistance on airport and underground storage tank insurance bids — and that the organization’s safety and training programs are designed to reduce claims.

Alder Kearney moved the motion to renew for 2026 and start a market RFP next year; Alder McElhinney seconded. Kearney explained the rationale: "I make a motion that we sign for 2026, but then start getting those RFPs. I guess in my mind, it's no different than what the city does for health insurance. And to have gone almost 20 years without looking at other coverage, I I think that it's time to do so." The committee approved the motion by voice vote and will forward the item to the full council.

Committee members and staff discussed alternatives, including two mutual insurers that write municipal liability in the region — referred to as the League option and the Wisconsin Municipal Mutual Insurance Company — and private-market carriers. Staff told the committee that an RFP begun now would push decision timelines into late fall and would forfeit the current-year dividend if a switch was ultimately reversed. The committee’s direction was procedural: sign CIVMEC for 2026 to preserve the dividend and market position, then run a comprehensive RFP in 2026 to compare coverage and price.

The committee packet included a memo enumerating coverages now managed through the CIVMEC membership and notes that CIVMEC’s bundled services include training and an insurance consultant for specific lines such as airport and storage tank policies. The committee’s decision preserves short-term continuity in coverage while creating a formal opportunity next year to compare alternatives in the market.