Chase County adopts higher-deductible insurance plan to curb 2025 premium spike

Chase County Commissioners on Dec. 31 approved an insurance renewal package (option 2) that raises deductibles on property and vehicles to reduce next year—s premium.

The insurance representative told the board that Chase County—s total insured values rose sharply, driving a proposed premium increase from about $269,688 to $350,734 should the county keep current deductible levels. The presentation showed the county—s blanket property limit climbed to nearly $30 million; the jail and courthouse together account for a substantial share of that exposure.

A principal rationale for the board—s decision was cost: raising the property deductible from $1,000 to $10,000 would lower the overall premium substantially, while setting a $3,000 deductible on most county vehicles would save roughly $10,000 annually compared with retaining current vehicle deductibles. The representative noted that in the last five years Chase County had one property claim and multiple vehicle claims, many of them windshield repairs that carry no deductible.

Commissioners discussed trade-offs: higher deductibles reduce annual premiums but increase out-of-pocket exposure when a claim occurs. Commissioners also noted that heavy-ticket items such as the courthouse and jail must be insured at replacement cost because of their unique historic construction.

After discussion, the board voted to adopt option 2: a $10,000 property deductible and a $3,000 vehicle deductible for most county vehicles (vehicles already valued over $100,000 remained at the $3,000 level regardless). The motion passed by voice vote.

The board directed staff to proceed with the renewal on the chosen terms and to allocate the resulting premium increases in the 2025 budgeting process, including identifying the portion attributable to the jail and other departments.