Worth Township's Lack of Proper Liability Coverage
The paper trail below shows that the Worth Township Board clearly had the opportunity to take a close look at their liability coverage in the spring of 2009. I appreciate former supervisor Jon Rundels providing me with the background behind the paper trail that can be accessed from the hyperlink below.
Mr. Rundels indicated that when he came in to office, one of the first questions he asked was what level of public official liability coverage existed. Since Clerk Bartniczak was unable to give him an answer, Mr. Rundels scheduled a special board meeting with the township’s insurance agent. Note that Marcy did not show up at that meeting. Mr. Rundels indicated he was surprised to learn of the bare bones level of coverage, especially in view of the fact that the treasurer and clerk are responsible for handling well over a million dollars of assets. Mr. Rundels recommended that the insurance agent return at the June 2009 meeting, and provide updated information on what it would cost to increase the coverage to be commensurate with the level of assets the board was supervising.
Unfortunately for township taxpayers, the rest is history. Mr. Rundels left the board, and as subsequent meeting minutes detail, the clerk and the other remaining members failed to have the insurance agent return and revisit this critical issue that he brought before them. The board just paid the bill to continue the prior policy, with its woefully inadequate coverage level.
After looking at this paper trail, doesn’t the clerk’s culpability for the Paeth judgment falling on the taxpayers’ backs appear to go far beyond the “ham-handed” actions that precipitated the lawsuit in the first place?
Why did the others on the board fail to address this critical shortcoming after Mr. Rundels brought it to their attention?