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Board approves amendment to court‑appointed services contract, waives routine contractor insurance requirement
Summary
Jackson County commissioners approved an amendment to the court‑appointed services contract and waived County policy 5,100 insurance provisions after staff said attorneys carry a different kind of liability coverage.
The Jackson County Board of Commissioners on June 17 approved an amendment to the county's court‑appointed services contract and voted to waive County policy 5,100 insurance requirements for those contractors.
County officials and at least one commissioner debated the change, which reduces the liability coverage that the county would otherwise require under Policy 5,100. Commissioner Bair questioned the reduced protections; county staff said the contractors in question are attorneys who carry different insurance than typical vendors.
Assistant County Administrator Deborah Kavinsky said the contract and the waiver were reviewed by county attorneys and that the waiver had been approved previously. She told the board that the contractors are "a little bit different than most of the contractors that we have here in Jackson County" and that "Policy 5,100 is dedicated... These people don't drive for us." Kavinsky said attorneys are required to have liability insurance but that it is a different rider than the commercial general liability policy that Policy 5,100 addresses.
Commissioner Bair urged caution, noting that Policy 5,100 calls for contractors to carry $1 million per occurrence commercial general liability and motor vehicle liability coverage as well as additional‑insured language and hold‑harmless clauses. He said the contract under consideration provides lower limits and lacks vehicle liability and additional insured wording, and he asked why protections were being reduced. Kavinsky said the contract does include professional liability and a general liability requirement that differs from Policy 5,100, and that the court contracts had followed the same approach in an earlier round of contracting in February.
The board moved to approve the amendment and the associated waiver; the motion carried.
County staff said the change reflects the distinct insurance practices of private attorneys contracted by the courts and that the county's attorneys previously reviewed and approved the form of the contract.
The board did not specify additional conditions or follow‑up reporting when it approved the amendment.
