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Curry County approves CIS/ABLE insurance renewal after trustees, staff press for deeper review
Summary
Curry County commissioners voted to approve a renewal of liability and law-enforcement coverage through City County Insurance Services (CIS), after hearing concerns about the depth of earlier risk assessments and a 17% premium increase.
Curry County commissioners voted June 4 to approve an insurance proposal from CIS/ABLE that continues the county’s coverage for general government and law-enforcement liability.
The action follows several presentations and an extended staff review in which county officials said earlier risk-assessment reports from CIS lacked sufficient depth. Commissioners and county counsel said they pushed CIS for more detailed reviews and asked for follow-up work that could reduce exposure to future claims.
County operations director Ted Fitzgerald and legal counsel reported that CIS provided a new proposal and that county staff had exchanged emails with CIS’s legal counsel and board to press for fuller risk analysis of the jail and road-patrol operations. “I requested that they do a full new risk assessment of the jail and of road patrol,” Fitzgerald said during the meeting, adding the county expected a response the following week on next steps.
Commissioners cited a sharp increase in the county’s premiums. Fitzgerald said the county’s premium rose 17% this year. Commissioners emphasized that they expect CIS to work with the county on methods and procedures that could reduce liability and premium pressure in future years.
After discussion, Commissioner Pat Coker moved to approve the CIS/ABLE insurance proposal; the motion was seconded and carried unanimously. The board instructed staff to continue follow-up with CIS on expanded risk assessments and to monitor any consultant deliverables closely.
County officials said the approved contract buys continuity of coverage while the county finishes its review and pursues remedies to reduce future risk.
The vote was recorded during the meeting’s action items; commissioners approved the proposal and directed staff to keep the board informed of CIS’s response to the county’s request for deeper risk assessments.
