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New Hartford board approves switching municipal insurance to Trident after presentation on coverage and cost
Summary
After a presentation comparing Travelers and Trident proposals, the Town Board authorized the supervisor to sign to bind Trident coverage citing an estimated ~$27,000 annual premium savings and broader umbrella/abuse coverage.
The New Hartford Town Board voted June 3 to move the town's municipal insurance from its long‑time carrier to a package offered by Trident, after a detailed presentation and comparison of coverages and deductibles.
Town Supervisor Jim Mesa introduced the review and asked the broker who prepared the quotes to walk the board through the differences between the proposals from Travelers and Trident. The broker said Trident's package included lower property deductibles in several areas, higher limits for law and ordinance coverage, stronger sewer and drain backup limits, and a broader umbrella that extends over abuse and molestation claims. That umbrella, the broker said, effectively increased the town's aggregate liability protection by roughly $1 million compared with the Travelers option.
Board members pressed the presenter on specific terms: deductibles for street lights and vehicles, coverage for police drones, and how inland marine and accounts receivable limits would apply. The presenter noted Travelers' quote included a $10,000 deductible on property items, versus a $5,000 deductible under Trident (with an option to raise Trident's deductible to match Travelers if the board preferred). On employee benefits liability, Trident proposed occurrence‑based coverage while Travelers had a claims‑made form for some lines; the broker said Trident's approach eliminated an extended reporting exposure and simplified future claims handling.
Supervisor Mesa said the board valued both claims service history and price; the broker said Trident offered roughly a $27,000 reduction in annual premium while providing stronger umbrella coverage for several town exposures. After brief additional questions about adding coverage for street lights and verifying drone values, Councilman John Latini moved to approve and authorize the supervisor to bind the Trident proposal and execute paperwork; Councilman David Reynolds seconded the motion. The roll call vote recorded approval.
The board asked staff to follow up with the broker to finalize the policy schedule and confirm the inclusion of police drone values and any optional inland‑marine expansions before the coverage binds on the effective date.
