Harrison County approves membership in Coast Gov Pro insurance pool, appoints representatives

Harrison County supervisors approved joining Coast Gov Pro, an intergovernmental property-insurance program, and took a package of related actions at an emergency meeting called to ensure continuous coverage ahead of approaching storms.

County officials said the board voted to approve Harrison County’s membership in Coast Gov Pro, adopt the pool’s bylaws and policies and procedures, approve the form of the insurer’s policy and the binding of coverage, enter a memorandum of understanding subject to attorney review, and authorize the county’s designated representative to execute necessary documents. The board also appointed Dan Quavis as the county’s primary representative to the Coast Gov Pro board and designated the county administrator as the alternate representative.

The meeting was convened as an emergency session, with the presiding official saying the meeting was called to secure insurance coverage before the policy expired and because of “storm threats coming.” Insurance broker Cameron Simpson, who identified himself as working with Frank Bordeaux at Gallagher, told the board the pool offers lower premiums by combining the assets of participating public entities when seeking market quotes. Simpson said the county’s expiring premium was roughly $1.9 million and that the renewal premium under Coast Gov Pro would be $1,732,844 — a premium savings of about $171,752.51. He also said the program this year includes 12 participating entities and is structured around a shared tower or limit, which he described as $375,000,000 for the first tower.

Simpson said the program initially includes Gallagher-controlled business but is intended to expand to other municipalities and entities over time. He noted one municipality, the City of Diamond Head, is not participating this year because “the program outgrew their TIV.” The broker also said other county entities not enrolled now, such as the Harrison County Utility Authority, could be added later.

Board action on each item was taken by motion, second and voice vote. For each order the presiding official called the question, members responded “Aye,” and the presiding official declared the motion carried. The board recorded that the memorandum of understanding would be drafted and submitted for review by the county’s attorneys before final execution.

The motions the board approved together formed a single package of orders authorizing membership and related governance and coverage documents for Coast Gov Pro. County staff said members would receive detailed documentation including a side-by-side comparison of expiring coverage and the proposed pool terms, sublimits (for example, debris removal), and statement-of-values pages county officials were asked to sign to confirm listed values.

The board’s decisions are procedural approvals to join the pool and adopt its documents; the memorandum of understanding and policy forms were described as subject to review by county counsel before final execution.