Tillamook County keeps $25,000 deductible, adds cyber and crime coverage limits

The Tillamook County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday approved the county’s annual insurance renewal with CIS, keeping the $25,000 per‑occurrence deductible and adding optional crime and cyber coverage increases recommended by the county’s broker.

Cheryl Spellman, owner of Hudson Insurance, told the board the county’s renewal premium landed at roughly $832,273, an approximately $65,000 increase from the prior year after midterm exposure adjustments and a 3.5 percent inflation trend on property values. “The county fell in right at 8%,” Spellman said after underwriting review.

Spellman recommended the county remain on the $25,000 deductible rather than moving at this time to the $50,000 deductible, noting the county’s claims history showed relatively few payouts that reached the full deductible and that a single large claim could erase the premium savings from a higher deductible.

Spellman also recommended increasing the county’s crime coverage from $250,000 to $1,000,000 for about $1,609 a year and doubling the county’s cyber liability coverage (from roughly $1.1 million to $2.1 million) for about $1,900 a year. The board approved both coverage increases and the recommendation to remain at a $25,000 deductible.

County Treasurer Boulanger told the board the budget includes $850,000 for insurance and that there is some flexibility to absorb the premium increase this year. Commissioners said the additional cyber and crime limits were prudent given the county’s recent ransomware incident and the increasing sophistication of cyberattacks.

The board voted by voice to approve the renewal, keep the $25,000 deductible and add the additional crime and cyber coverage layers; the motion carried.