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County attorney flags auto-liability checks for events after MMIA guidance; pride permit meets requirement
Summary
County Attorney Morgan Smith told commissioners she is verifying certificates of insurance to ensure automobile liability is included when events permit vehicles on turf and liquor liability when alcohol is served, per MMIA advice; staff said the Anaconda Pride submission includes the recommended automobile coverage.
County Attorney Morgan Smith told commissioners on April 28 that county staff are tightening their review of special-event certificates of insurance to reflect recent guidance from the county’s insurer (MMIA). She said MMIA advised verifying automobile liability when events contemplate vehicles operating on areas not designed for vehicle traffic, such as turf or ballfields, and verifying liquor-liability coverage when alcohol will be served.
"One of the things we need to be ensuring within the Certificate of Insurance is that they are contemplating automobile liability coverage," County Attorney Morgan Smith said, describing her recent meeting with MMIA representatives. She said staff will follow up on outstanding certificates and route permits to MMIA for questions when needed.
Smith said the certificate submitted for Anaconda Pride at Kennedy Commons includes the automobile coverage MMIA recommended. She said many event submissions the county receives do not include those boxes checked and that staff are reaching out to organizers — for example, Copper Village and Art in the Park — to obtain complete certificates before final approval. Smith framed the change as a verification practice rather than a new ordinance: staff will check for coverage that MMIA identifies as necessary to protect the county.
CEO Bill Everett told market organizers the county will try to provide street sweeping support when possible but cannot guarantee repeated ad-hoc sweeps, and that construction variables can complicate logistics. Several permits discussed at the session were placed on a future agenda pending receipt and verification of insurance documents.
