Chase County adopts insurance option to lower premiums, raising deductibles

An insurance representative (Speaker 6) briefed the board on Jan. 18 policy renewal options and projected premiums. He said county insured values increased (blanket property limit from about $27 million to nearly $30 million) and that the current renewal, if unchanged, would raise the premium from about $269,688 to approximately $350,734. He recommended higher deductibles to lower the premium.

Speaker 6 outlined three options: keep current coverage (highest premium), raise property deductibles to $10,000 (option 2) or to $25,000 (option 3). He also described vehicle-deductible changes, noting vehicles over $100,000 already carry a $3,000 deductible and that raising other vehicle deductibles to $3,000 could save roughly $10,000 annually. He cited five windshield-chip claims in five years and one property claim in five years as part of the county's recent claims history.

After discussion about risk and budget tradeoffs, Speaker 5 moved that the county proceed with 'option 2' (which includes a $10,000 property deductible and $3,000 vehicle deductibles on eligible vehicles). The motion was seconded and carried by voice vote ('aye'). The board instructed staff to record and allocate the resulting premium increase across affected funds, with the jail absorbing a share of the increase corresponding to its insured value portion.