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Bonner County approves SIR liability and property insurance renewals; adds cyber coverage
Summary
Bonner County commissioners approved a $739,452 self-insured-retention (SIR) liability package and a $238,975 property insurance renewal, with staff recommending increasing cyber coverage from $1 million to $3 million and strengthening claims-management practices.
Bonner County commissioners on Sept. 23 approved a package of liability and property insurance renewals, accepting a self-insured-retention liability program and a Farm Bureau property policy that together shape the county's risk-management posture for the coming year.
Christian Jocelyn, the county risk manager, told the board the SIR liability renewal totaled $739,452 and covers casualty, crime, aviation, auto, inmate medical and cyber exposures among other lines. Jocelyn said the figure came in well below the $1 million the county had budgeted. Jocelyn recommended increasing the county's cyber liability limit from $1 million to $3 million, citing rising incidents affecting local governments.
Jordan Redmond of Redmond Insurance, the broker, described carve-outs negotiated in the package—such as coverage for overseas counsel and sheriff’s drone use—at no additional cost. The board also discussed claims management tools and the value of a vendor review for inmate-medical billing; Redmond said any identified recoveries would be returned to the county.
Commissioners discussed the trade-offs of continuing the county’s self-insured retention approach. Jocelyn emphasized SIR requires robust internal loss-control processes, including annual training, post-incident reviews and better claims trending. The board agreed to pursue improved claims-management practices and software that would help track near-misses and support future insurance negotiations.
Separately, the board approved a property-insurance renewal with Farm Bureau for $238,975, a modest decrease from last year's $246,728. Jocelyn noted the premium would fall if the county removed properties it does not actively use from the policy. Commissioners asked staff to review the county property list before the next renewal.
The motion to approve the SIR liability package and related policies and to buy the Farm Bureau property insurance passed on roll-call votes. The board documented no fiscal impact beyond the amounts presented and directed staff to return with recommended improvements to claims management and a review of insured properties.
