Harrison County approves insurance renewal, adds cyber liability coverage

Harrison County supervisors voted to approve an insurance renewal that includes a new cyber liability line, following a presentation from Gallagher Insurance.

Frank Bordeaux of Gallagher Insurance told the board the county's overall increase was driven by changes in exposures — such as payroll, vehicle counts and jail capacity — and that the county's claims experience has improved. Bordeaux described the cyber liability line as including system restoration, incident response and vendor-negotiated services to reduce post-claim costs. "The cyber liability is something that the county has wanted for quite some time," Bordeaux said.

Bordeaux reported a quoted cyber premium in the meeting transcript (recorded as "$53.09 86"); board members asked for clarification and a detailed breakout. Bordeaux said that, excluding the new cyber line, the renewal would amount to an increase of about $35,533 on an apples-to-apples basis. He also described that the county currently inventories 12 unmanned vehicles (11 aerial drones and one unmanned marine vehicle) and that drone values and advanced sensors can affect exposure and premiums.

After questions regarding exposures, drone coverage, and potential loss-control discounts for driver training, the board moved and voted to approve the renewal as presented. The chair announced, "Motion carries."

What happens next: staff and the insurance broker will continue to seek competitive cyber quotes and will provide policy detail and supporting reports to the board; any contract documents or final carrier selections will be returned for formal approval if required.

Attribution: Frank Bordeaux, Gallagher Insurance, provided the insurance presentation and quoted figures; board discussion and votes are recorded in the meeting transcript.