Habersham’s $728,164 Insurance Renewal Has No Documented Board Decision

Habersham County commissioners considered a proposed $728,164 renewal of property, vehicle and liability insurance with ACCG-IRMA at their June 17, 2024 regular meeting, but the cited minutes do not document a motion, vote or approval. The request was to carry coverage into fiscal year 2024-25 on the same deductible and liability limits as the expiring policy.

The decision matters because the coverage is intended to protect county property and vehicles and address liability claims arising from general county operations, law enforcement and actions by public officials. Premium, deductibles and liability limits shape both the taxpayer cost of insurance and the financial exposure the county could retain after a loss or claim.

The item first appeared on the June 17 agenda as a request for commissioners to consider renewing property and liability insurance with ACCG-IRMA. At the regular meeting that day, commissioners heard supporting information and a request to renew the broader property, vehicle and liability coverage. The minutes excerpt records that presentation, but it does not carry the matter through to a documented board action.

County officials presented the ACCG-IRMA renewal as a way to maintain the expiring policy’s deductible and liability limits for the coming fiscal year. No competing proposal, public opposition or commissioner position is documented in the cited agenda entry or minutes excerpt. ACCG-IRMA was the proposed insurance provider, while the Board of Commissioners was the body asked to act.

The proposed premium was $110,902 higher than the stated prior premium of $617,262. That figure and the proposed continuation of existing deductibles and limits are documented as part of the request, not as confirmed final terms. The cited June 17 minutes record discussion and a request for action, but do not state that the commission approved, denied or amended the renewal, and they do not establish an executed policy or payment.

No later official action or scheduled public step is documented in this matter. The next meaningful record would be a commission vote or other formal action, or documentation of an executed policy and its final cost; until then, residents cannot determine from the cited records whether the proposed renewal took effect.