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Committee approves several consent items, considers outsourcing tax billing and reviews insurance options
Summary
On Sept. 3 the committee approved claims and a license agent change, recommended outsourcing property tax billing to the county as a preliminary step, and reviewed property and liability insurance options including a proposal from CIVMEC to increase self‑insured retention in exchange for premium savings.
The City of New Berlin committee handled a package of routine administrative items and discussed multiple insurance and tax‑billing matters on Sept. 3.
Consent approvals: The committee approved August utility claims (water $104,849.17; sewer $30,360.35) and general city claims of $999,823.17 plus a bank EFT of $30,556.27; it also approved a change of agent for Speedway No. 4230 to Ashley Hayes for a license term ending June 30, 2026. Each item was approved by unanimous voice vote.
Outsourcing property tax billing: Staff presented a preliminary recommendation to outsource the city’s property tax billing to the county, noting Brookfield and most municipalities in the county already contract with the county. Staff said county-managed billing would offer daily online bill visibility and additional payment options; the county expects to mail bills on a similar schedule (staff estimated a potential shift of a few days later). Council asked whether the change would require an earlier budget adoption; staff said it would not, noting the county’s projected mail dates around Dec. 10–12.
Property and liability insurance review: Staff updated the committee on property insurance renewal negotiations. Chubb, the current property carrier, offered a renewal effectively at a 10:1 term; staff is also evaluating Epic (a municipal mutual linked with CIVMEC) with an initial quoted savings of about $20,000. The committee also considered a liability proposal from Cities and Villages Mutual Insurance (CIVMEC) to increase the city’s self‑insured retention (from $75,000 to $300,000) in exchange for a guaranteed premium for policy years 2026–28. Staff reviewed a 10‑year claims history and said the city historically had few large retention hits; the committee approved the CIVMEC proposal unanimously after noting the premium/retention tradeoffs.
Next steps: Staff will return with comparative coverage details at the next meeting and will include any chosen property-insurance proposal and the liability terms in future council materials.
