Kootenai County hears insurance risk assessment; ICRMP flags potential premium increase

John Geddy, an agent for the Idaho Counties Risk Management Program (ICRMP), briefed Kootenai County elected officials on May 21, 2025, about how the program values county property and the potential for higher premiums if the county's total insurable values increase sharply.

Geddy told Commissioners that “the ICRMP program is based on replacement costs for building and contents and property in the open. That means new for old at the time of a loss.” He said mobile equipment and vehicles are valued at actual cash value — “like kind in quality at the time of the loss taking into consideration age.”

The presentation explained why accurate, current inventories matter to budgeting and coverage. Geddy said ICRMP is now tracking total insurable values quarterly and “if those values go up by $5,000,000 in a quarter, they're going to start charging additional premium.” He urged departments to supply up‑to‑date valuations so the county can budget for any increase tied to a new county building coming online.

County staff have begun building inventories and performing walk-throughs. Geddy said he, Jeff Smith and Jeff Waller have completed most first‑round inspections and have been joined by Alicia from the State Insurance Fund on several of the reviews. He described the walk‑throughs as focused on contents and life‑safety items and said the State Insurance Fund representative “has great expertise in seeing things that are potential life safety issues.” He gave examples such as fire extinguishers being covered up or breaker boxes that are obstructed.

On valuation techniques, Geddy suggested practical approaches for departments that must value many similar spaces. Speaking about an office complex at the county’s Kootenai North facility, he said an approach would be to determine “an average cost for an office for contents in an office and then they could multiply that by the number of offices, which would get us a long ways towards determining replacement cost in that building.” He also noted that vehicle and auto‑equipment values must be handled separately.

County officials raised concerns about liability and claims handling. Sheriff Bob Norris said he has observed ICRMP make coverage determinations on tort claims without contacting involved employees and asked for more opportunity for input. Geddy responded that agents generally handle input and that anyone “involved in a tort claim ought to have input on the front end,” and suggested raising concerns through Commissioner Duncan, who serves on the ICRMP board.

Officials asked whether additional documentation would help claims. A participant asked whether installing video cameras would improve insurance outcomes after a recent dumpster fire; Geddy said video “would help in pursuing the culprit and an investigation of the claim” and that video inventories of offices could simplify contents claims after a structural loss.

Geddy requested county staff provide copies of leases and contracts that include insurance requirements, noting certificates of insurance sometimes “don't necessarily follow the requirements of the leases or contracts.” He also said county staff member Cecilia has been collecting certificates and that having consistent documentation will reduce gaps and surprises if a loss occurs.

No formal action or vote was taken. The discussion closed with Geddy offering to share his contact information so elected officials and department heads can reach out proactively with questions about coverage or when departmental activities change.