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Insurance broker presents property-and-liability assessment, offers RFQ template to St. Francois County
Summary
Higginbotham representatives presented a county property-and-liability risk assessment, identified building and jail recommendations, and asked the commission to consider issuing an RFQ for broker services ahead of the next insurance renewal.
Chase Bridal, managing director of Higginbotham's Missouri offices, told the St. Francois County Commission that the firm completed a property-and-liability assessment of county facilities and recommends the county solicit broker proposals (RFQs) ahead of the January 1 insurance renewal.
Bridal said the county's insurance premiums increased about 78% between 2022 and 2025, citing figures the firm pulled from the county auditor's published, commission-approved 2025 budget. "When we learned of the situation going on with the county, we asked to do what we do with a lot of our partners, which is a proactive property assessment," Bridal said.
The assessment included on-site reviews of the courthouse annex and the county jail. Breed-specific findings included three "critical recommendations" at the courthouse annex and five in the jail, Bridal said. He described attention to sprinkler, electrical and maintenance systems and said the review included a national risk engineer with experience on federal contracts and large corrections facilities.
Bridal emphasized that reducing exposure and improving building protections could move the county from an "average rating to best-in-class," which he said would broaden the market of insurance carriers willing to underwrite the county and lower the total cost of risk.
Higginbotham also handed out sample "human element" management programs—checklists and schedules for monthly, quarterly and annual inspections of fire suppression systems, roofs and other assets—and offered the assessment work and templates at no cost to the county.
Commissioners asked whether fire protection class and nearby fire stations were considered; Bridal confirmed they were and highlighted a specific concern about an insulated freezer in the jail that his engineer flagged as highly flammable. "That was a large risk," he said, explaining that certain insulation materials can ignite and burn inside wall cavities.
Bridal asked the commission to consider going to market for broker services and provided an RFQ template he said other cities and counties have used. He framed the request as exploratory: the county would "go out and look at other options for broker services," not commit to hiring a particular broker.
No formal action was taken during the presentation; the commission did not vote on issuing an RFQ during the session.
The presentation included references to recent Higginbotham work with nearby municipalities and to the county's published budget figures; the county did not adopt policy or hire a broker at the meeting.
