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Risk management requests $492,500 in increases, proposes new health-and-safety officer
Summary
Risk management asked for increases to offset rising medical and property/casualty claims and requested a new health-and-safety officer position to reduce workplace incidents.
Hoover's risk-management director presented a multi-fund request at the budget hearings, citing increases in workers' compensation and property-and-casualty expenses and proposing a new health-and-safety officer position.
The department oversees operating funds, a workers' compensation program and a property-and-casualty program. The director displayed pie charts and historical claims data to justify projections. For FY26 the department requested an additional $141,500 for workers' compensation (to offset rising medical costs) and $351,000 for property and casualty to cover expected claims and current overages. The operating budget included a $5,000 request to implement the Smith System driver-training program so departments can run customized driver-safety training.
Based on the recent claims history and a 2023 property/casualty bailout, the administration's budget commentator advised council that risk-management estimates are data-driven and that underfunding internal service funds can require future bailouts. The director closed by urging support for a full-time health-and-safety officer to centralize training and prevention efforts; staff argued the role would help make safety "second nature" for employees and reduce long-term claims costs.
Council did not take formal action during the hearing; the requests will be considered in broader budget deliberations.
