Tuscaloosa City insurance committee reviews upcoming renewals, debates K-9 coverage

Tuscaloosa City’s Insurance Litigation Committee reviewed a slate of policy renewals and discussed whether the city should self‑insure small losses for police K‑9s rather than continue buying a dedicated mortality policy.

A staff member told the committee the panel meets irregularly and that staff compiles renewal information between meetings. The staff member said Christina Hton in the legal office ‘‘does a phenomenal phenomenal job’’ organizing renewal dates and documents, and listed several 2025 premium figures: $8,496 for professional EMT/home‑health coverage, $5,985 for the police dog mortality policy, $57.80 per employee for stop‑loss health coverage, $18,387 for engineers’ professional liability, and $5,712 for fiduciary coverage tied to the police and firefighter supplemental retirement plan.

The committee pressed for details about the K‑9 coverage after a member asked, ‘‘What do we get if one of these dogs dies?’’ A speaker provided insured values for individual dogs—‘‘Thomas, he's insured for $11,000. Mary's insured for $15,000. Nails for $20,000. Leo for $19,500. And Baky for $20,000’’—and noted replacement and handling costs ‘‘usually about $30,000.’’ The staff member said the mortality policy only exceeded the $5,000 payout threshold in one recent year.

A committee member suggested the city could self‑insure the relatively small, infrequent losses rather than pay a recurring premium: ‘‘We should just selfinsure that loss,’’ the member said, urging the city to set aside about $5,000 annually into a fund. The staff member responded that historical payment data could be supplied and that the committee could invite the vendor or AMIC to appear before the finance committee for further explanation.

Mr. Busby, identified in the transcript as a committee member, said one premium ‘‘will roll off after our conversion to RSA,’’ indicating the fiduciary coverage tied to the retirement plan may no longer be required after that administrative change.

No formal votes on renewals were recorded in the transcript. The staff member said the items were provided for information only and that some renewals may be routed to the finance committee or council for action. A motion to adjourn was made and seconded and the meeting closed; the transcript does not record further formal action on renewals. Staff said it will circulate details ahead of the committee’s next scheduled meeting on Sept. 29 and expects a larger insurance renewal in February could prompt a special call of the committee.

What remains to be decided is whether the city will continue the dedicated K‑9 mortality policy or instead fund a city reserve for occasional replacement and handling costs; staff will provide historical payout records and, if requested, arrange vendor appearances for finance committee review.