Committee approves $20,000 retainer for RiskVersity to conduct county risk assessment and policy updates

The McLean County Finance Committee approved a consulting agreement on Wednesday with RiskVersity to perform an organizational risk assessment and update county policies.

Administrator Cassie Taylor said the county recommended a consultant model after finding it difficult to recruit a part-time risk manager. "Utilizing a consulting model provides greater value and productivity than trying to maintain a part-time risk manager position that has proven difficult to fill," she said. The contract establishes a $20,000 minimum retainer that the county must use within 12 months; staff said the retainer should buy roughly 66 hours of consulting and that additional work would be billed at the contractor's hourly rates.

Committee members asked about scope and duration. Taylor said the immediate work will include a comprehensive review of county policies to align with industry best practices and a departmental risk-assessment process to identify exposures and improve consistency across departments. She noted the county had budgeted about $50,000 for a part-time risk-management role, and that administration hopes to clarify recurring needs for the 2027 budget after preliminary work is complete.

The committee moved to place the contract on the floor (motion by Member Class, second by Member Rosema Mendoza), and the item was approved by voice vote.