County Board Signs Off on Pricier Liability Coverage
Williamson County taxpayers will foot a bigger insurance bill
By Verna Slate, Williamson County Bureau
MARION, Ill. — The county board didn't linger on it, but the number was hard to miss. Williamson County has approved new liability coverage that comes at a higher cost than what's on the books now, according to the Southern Illinoisan.
Liability insurance is the kind of line item that rarely gets a headline until something goes wrong — a lawsuit, a settlement, a claim the county didn't see coming. It's the premium governments pay so that when they do get sued, taxpayers aren't left holding the whole bag themselves.
Beyond the fact of the higher cost, the reporting available doesn't spell out why the price went up or what the new policy covers that the old one didn't. That's worth asking the county board about directly.
What matters for county residents is simple: this is public money, spent to protect public officials, and it's worth watching what it buys and why the cost went up.
Reporting credit: Southern Illinoisan.
— Compiled from reporting by the Southern Illinoisan.
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