CTSI tells Elbert County vehicle incidents, law‑enforcement claims are top cost drivers; recommends training

On May 26 the Elbert County Board of County Commissioners met with Dana Foley of County Technical Services, Inc. (CTSI) for a review of the county's five‑year loss analysis of insurance claims. Foley said vehicle incidents remain the most frequent driver of losses and that law‑enforcement liability has climbed in severity, partly since the passage of Senate Bill 217.

CTSI, a county member‑owned insurance pool, operates on member contributions and returns surplus funds to counties rather than operating as a traditional insurer, Foley said. She told commissioners that CTSI's workers' compensation pool (CWCP) returned $4.25 million to member counties last year and that interest distributions totaled about $1.1 million; Elbert County received $148,442 from the CWCP distribution and $27,846 in interest, for a combined $176,288.

"CTSI truly is...like a self‑insured pool," Foley said, describing how contributions are pooled, claims are paid from that account and surplus above target levels is distributed to members. She added that when claims are paid out the pool must set reserves immediately and pursue subrogation only after claims are closed, which can delay credits back to counties.

Foley presented a point‑in‑time snapshot for 2025 and a five‑year look (2021–2025). For Elbert County she cited 25 CAP (casualty and property) claims in the most recent year totaling approximately $142,588. For the same five‑year window she reported 92 claims totaling about $2,379,947 for an average claim cost of roughly $25,869. At the pool level, Foley said the five‑year totals included 3,082 claims for about $69.3 million with an average cost near $22,479.

Commissioners asked about reinsurance and how CTSI finds additional underwriting capacity when single carriers will not take full exposure. "Often you have to build layers with various companies to make up your desired level of insurance," Foley said, noting law‑enforcement liability is currently harder to place and often requires layered reinsurance.

Foley urged prevention and training as practical steps to lower losses. She described a CTSI defensive‑driving class (3 to 3½ hours) that many counties use and recommended repeating it every three to four years. "We have noticed a reduction in backing‑related claims by doing the classes," Foley said, citing pool results that backing claims fell from 17% in 2023 to 7% in 2024 and were 8% in 2025.

Byron McDaniel asked for a breakout of the chart's "other" category; Foley explained that one‑off claims with insufficient frequency to trend are grouped as "other" but that the detailed pages list each claim by department, frequency and incurred amount.

Commissioners also raised questions about claims arising from county equipment—rocks or materials striking a vehicle behind county equipment—and whether governmental immunity applies. Foley said governmental immunity often does apply when an incident stems from government operations, but recommended filing claims so CTSI can evaluate coverage and pursue subrogation when appropriate. She also noted some counties create voluntary "make‑it‑right" funds to address goodwill payments for third‑party losses in limited cases.

Foley recommended additional supervisor training and an "accident investigation" course to improve root‑cause analysis. A commissioner asked whether root‑cause work matters if governmental immunity often shields the county; Foley replied that root‑cause investigations still reduce recurrence and help protect citizens and county resources even when immunity limits recovery.

Next steps recorded at the meeting: commissioners asked staff (Macy and Sean) to coordinate scheduling defensive‑driving sessions across departments, and Foley said she would follow up with year‑to‑date claims figures for Elbert County. The board adjourned the work session after the presentation.

Ending: Foley will provide updated year‑to‑date data and commissioners will coordinate training dates; no formal motions or votes were recorded during the session.