Kristen, a consultant presenting the city’s updated volunteer coverage guide, urged Talent officials on Oct. 30 to tighten tracking and classification of volunteers after the city’s shift to coverage through SAFE Corporation.

Kristen said the city’s volunteer accident policy has a $100,000 per-person limit and is designed to “backfill deductibles and copays” when volunteers have other collectible insurance. “It’s got a $100,000 limit of coverage, and it applies after any other collectible insurance is provided,” she said.

She contrasted that policy with workers’ compensation, which provides broader benefits. “If they’re injured under workers’ compensation, they’re also gonna be treated just like an employee … they’ll be paid two thirds of their pay that they are getting paid normally from their regular job during the time they’re recovering,” she said, noting lifetime medical benefits and possible vocational rehabilitation under comp claims. She warned that workers’ compensation claims remain on the city’s experience rating for three years and can increase premiums.

Because of that exposure, Kristen recommended that the city evaluate volunteer exposures by role—how many volunteers, job duties and supervising staff—and keep rosters and timecards to document when volunteers are working. “We do like to keep rosters so that we can demonstrate that that volunteer was working for us the day that the injury did occur,” she said.

Kristen also said insurers are likely to refuse coverage for certain manual tasks. She cited tree work and chainsaw use as examples insurers often decline: “They’re really not keen on people out volunteering with chainsaws in their hands.” In one past case, a community group restructured as a nonprofit and bought its own accident policy; the city provided a stipend to cover that premium, she said.

Councilors and commissioners asked practical questions. Staff clarified that volunteers performing duties similar to an employee (for example, a city employee doing clerical work at a community event) may be treated as employees rather than volunteers for insurance purposes, and that CERT activities would need supervision by city emergency personnel and appropriate PPE and training to be covered.

Kristen recommended updating the city’s volunteer resolution and maintaining clear internal policies and timekeeping, including separate classification codes for different types of volunteer work so assumed wages and premiums are calculated correctly. She noted a code currently in use for advisory commissions (8742) is tied to meeting activity rather than manual labor and urged that the council identify any commissions whose volunteer duties require different classifications.

The presentation closed with an agreement to continue refining the volunteer policy, and councilors said they would provide lists of commissions and descriptions of activities to staff so SAFE can add appropriate classifications.

The city did not take a formal vote on the matter during the study session; staff said they would return with updated language and classifications for council review.