The West Burlington City Council learned Wednesday night that the insurance premium for the city will increase by 31% Jan. 1.
Cody VanFleet with World Insurance, formerly Two Rivers Insurance, met with the council Wednesday during its regular session, and said premiums for the city’s property and casualty insurance for coming year will rise by 31%.
VanFleet said several issues have turned the insurance industry on its ear in recent years, including an increase in weather related events. Of the 31% increase, 21% of it is due to changes in rates for the areas covered. The city’s overall property valuation also increased by $2.7 million, which is a factor in coverage costs, VanFleet said.
The remaining 10%, VanFleet said, could possibly be eliminated or brought down with some tweaks made by the city that include how some jobs are classified – particularly with the police department’s reserve officers who are volunteers and not paid, part-time, city employees.
Councilor John Johnson asked VanFleet what premium increase the city received in the year prior, which was 10% according to VanFleet.
The city paid a premium of $125,443 for coverage this year. The 31% increase will raise the premium to $164,330.
The council also discussed the recent power outage that occurred in areas of the city during the ice storm on Saturday.
Councilor Andy Crowner said the outage issue needs to be addressed with the city’s electric utility provider, Alliant Energy. “It seems like the issue is in the same area and that makes it look like it’s a known problem,” Crowner said.
City Administrator Gregg Mandsager agreed and said the city needs to reach out Kay Sackville, the city’s contact with Alliant Energy.
“It was down for four hours at my house, and by the time I saw the Alliant truck, it was back on in three minutes,” Crowner said.
In other business, the council voted to approve rate of pay for pool employees this summer and publication to start accepting applications for positions at the West Burlington public pool for the summer season. Councilor Therese Lees said she hopes to get a lot of interest since the rate of pay for lifeguards has increased to $14 per hour.
Additional Business
The council appointed John Johnson as the West Burlington City Council Representative to the Greater Burlington Partnership Convention and Visitors Bureau Board of Directors
The council announced that Business of the Year nominations will be accepted beginning in January. Crowner said the nominations will be considered in February and the winner will be announced in March. The 2024 award recipient was KPI Concepts.
The West Burlington City Council meets twice a month, on first and third Wednesdays, at 6 p.m. at West Burlington City Hall, 122 Broadway. City council meetings are also livestreamed on the city’s YouTube channel. All council meetings are open to public attendance.
