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Risk management reports rising claim costs and details security response after museum threats
Summary
Risk management staff reported workers' compensation and liability claim trends, said two severe time-loss injuries account for most costs, described an annual risk-pool audit and cybersecurity reporting, and briefed the board on an incident at the county museum where security reported bomb threats and photos were filed with local police.
Shelley Pierce, Cowlitz County risk manager, and Scott Kelly, risk analyst, briefed the Board of Commissioners on July 1 about workers' compensation and liability claims, an annual risk-pool audit and a recent security incident at the county museum.
Pierce said the county had two severe time-loss workers' compensation claims that account for about 80% of current payouts and that surgery costs are running about 6 to 7% higher compared with prior years. "Those two severe injuries are what's causing our payments to go up," Pierce said. She reported 16 open workers' compensation claims year to date compared with 18 in the prior year and noted 2023 appeared to be an outlier with unusually low numbers.
On liability claims, Pierce said there were 11 new claims as of July 1 and eight claims in litigation; four of the litigation cases involve alleged abuse claims. She said the county plans a fourth-quarter budget amendment to account for additional revenue when a liability claim amount is finalized.
Pierce also described a security incident at the county museum on July 23 where two individuals made inappropriate comments and issued bomb threats near the museum. County security obtained surveillance footage and contacted the Kelso Police Department the same day; Pierce said the individuals are believed to be homeless and that staff were coached to call 911 and not approach suspicious persons. "We filed an official report the same day," she said. The county will trespass the individuals if they return and will share the police report with the risk pool.
Risk management said it completed a state-mandated annual cybercrime/tort audit and reminded departments that the county is updating security badges to photo IDs following facilities moves related to court operations. Pierce noted the county's third-party administrator investigates third-party liability in workers' compensation claims and pursues recoveries when appropriate.
No formal decisions related to claims or security were made during the meeting; staff said they will update the board on litigation and claims during the quarterly report and will coordinate with the sheriff's office and police on the museum matter.
