Sabine Parish told to expect steeper insurance bills; jurors accept broker recommendations

Parish insurance brokers presented proposed renewals to the Sabine Parish Police Jury, warning of across‑the‑board increases driven by a large health claim and market shifts in liability coverage. "They're coming in with a 4.8% increase," said the health-plan broker during the PGRMA renewal presentation, noting a single large claim of about $102,000 as a primary driver. The broker said changing to a $1,500 deductible could save roughly $6,000 a year but cautioned that alternative carriers may not accept early retirees.

Risk Services Louisiana reviewed property/casualty and workers' compensation renewals and estimated a total premium of about $365,000 (excluding workers' comp) and an 18.7% increase year over year. "Of our amount there, $25,000 was due to general liability," the presenter said, and he recommended negotiating an increased cyber limit (from $100,000 to $250,000) for a modest additional premium. The consultant noted reduced competition in the parish market and cited carrier changes that compress options for the parish.

After questions about whether the jury needed to act immediately, a juror moved to accept the presentations and pricing; the motion passed by voice vote. Jurors asked staff to keep soliciting competitive quotes where feasible and to provide the finance committee with any options that could mitigate next year's increases. The meeting record shows the jury accepted the broker presentations; no separate line‑item appropriation was approved at the meeting.