County insurance review flags insurer exclusion for 'districts'; commissioners direct MOUs and inventory checks

Wolf Daniels, the county’s insurance representative, reviewed the county’s property, auto and equipment inventory with the board on Jan. 20 and said a November 2022 carrier decision removed blanket coverage for entities labeled as “districts” (for example, cemetery districts and some special districts). That change requires the county to obtain agreements—MOUs or contracts—with certain districts or to ensure separate insurance for high‑exposure entities such as hospital districts, airports and fire districts.

Commissioners and staff reviewed new equipment purchases (Bobcat mini‑excavator, a John Deere track loader at the landfill, a recent fire truck acquisition) and loan/payoff statuses. They also flagged a new airport mower/tractor purchase that needs to be verified on the county inventory and discussed whether vehicles and heavy equipment are correctly listed with loss payees. For smaller special‑district assets (for example, a Whitetail Sports Club fire truck titled to the club but used as a public asset), staff noted past practice of placing those units on the county policy while title remained with an entity, and recommended clarifying ownership and coverage via written agreements.

The board approved re‑hiring the county’s insurance agent (Prairie Wolf) for 2026–27 to continue managing the county’s property/casualty needs and asked staff to confirm building contents coverage (including the district judge’s library and other holdings) and to add the soon‑to‑be‑installed radio equipment to the schedule.