OSAGE COUNTY — Rising insurance premiums drew questions from Osage County commissioners during their Nov. 3 meeting, as Western District Commissioner Dale Logan asked why the county’s costs continued climbing despite relatively low claims.

Lori Collins of MOPERM reviewed the county’s coverage and claims history ahead of its Jan. 1 policy renewal. The county’s 2026 premium was $251,073, and Interim County Clerk Brooke Dudenhoeffer identified the 2027 renewal amount as $265,193.

“I have serious concerns about the cost increase in the last five years,” Logan said. He said the county paid approximately $125,000 in 2021, compared with approximately $251,000 in 2026.

Collins reported a 2026 loss ratio of 23.1%, which she described as good, and a loss ratio of 22.99% for 2014 through 2026. She said automobile accidents accounted for 61% of the county’s claims.

Logan questioned continued increases after claims dropped from a higher level in 2023.

“But in 2024, the loss ratio dropped dramatically. In 2025, dropped again, and in 2026, it’s held steady. But yet the premiums continue to go up dramatically,” he said.

Collins said several factors could affect premiums, including insurance rates, reinsurance costs, added vehicles or property, revenue, and changes in the number of law enforcement officers. She said storm losses across Missouri had increased costs for the property program and that the county’s own claims were only part of the picture in an insurance pool.

She offered to obtain a more detailed explanation of changes in the county’s premiums since 2021.

Commissioners also questioned how revenue and expenditures factor into general liability premiums. Collins said property coverage is based on insured property, law enforcement coverage on officer numbers, and medical malpractice coverage on patient visits. General liability uses a review of revenues and expenditures, with certain items excluded by underwriters.

Discussion included whether designated sales tax revenue, particularly Proposition P money used for the sheriff’s office but deposited into General Revenue, is excluded from that calculation. Collins said she would seek clarification on exactly what underwriting removes.

Logan also noted equipment on the review’s 2026 schedule that the county no longer owned. Collins said the packet used the older schedule because the 2027 information was still being updated when she prepared it and she had been out of the office for personal reasons. Dudenhoeffer said she had completed the newer information.

Collins recommended checking property and vehicle schedules and assigning items to the correct departments so premiums could be allocated appropriately.

When describing to commissioners why she felt they should stay with MOPERM, she said MOPERM’s property coverage uses one deductible per occurrence, rather than a separate deductible for each damaged building. She also said MOPERM does not have a separate wind and hail deductible, which increased the premiums but could save the county a lot of money if they had a claim.

“And we have one deductible per occurrence. So if you have 10 buildings that get hail damage, you pay one deductible. You don’t pay that per building. You don’t pay a percentage. It’s just whatever your property deductible is,” Collins said.

She said MOPERM pays more for reinsurance to retain those deductible terms. She cautioned that savings on another carrier’s premium could be offset by a substantially higher deductible if the county had a claim.

“You don’t want to lose out on coverage because you’re getting such a better deal. When in the long run, if you have a claim or something happens, it’s not a better deal because you’re out of a lot more money,” Collins said.

Collins also reviewed free employee training and an employment practices hotline offering attorney consultations on matters such as hiring, firing, and disability compliance.

Logan questioned the process for obtaining competing quotes, recalling difficulties when commissioners considered changing agents the previous year. He said another agent should be able to obtain pricing for the county.

Collins said the county could authorize multiple agents to quote its insurance. MOPERM would provide the county’s schedules to another agent or carrier with the county’s permission, but would not release that information simply because an agent requested it. She said written authorization, such as an email, would be sufficient.

Eastern District Commissioner Jeff Peters said commissioners had previously been told an agent could not shop for coverage until the county signed over its business.

Commissioners also asked whether dealing directly with MOPERM would reduce their premium. Collins said it would not because MOPERM pays the agent’s commission from the fund, with no additional charge to the county for having an agent. Dudenhoeffer noted an agent could shop the market on the county’s behalf.

No change in carriers was approved during the discussion.

• Commissioners approved advertising for sealed bids on a three-year sheriff’s vehicle maintenance and towing contract. Sheriff Michael Bonham said the proposal had been shortened from five years after concerns about the length. He said the previous 10-year contract saved money as prices increased because contracted labor and towing rates remained in place.

• Commissioners asked Bonham about wall repairs in two jail cells. Bonham said the walls had not been repaired, leaving the cells unavailable to house inmates and resulting in lost boarding revenue. The cells could house two inmates each at $50 per day from Cole County, making their potential boarding revenue $200 daily.

“You don’t use drywall inside a jail. You just don’t do it,” Bonham said.

He said artificial stone used in another cell had already been broken and repaired with epoxy.

Bonham said the county had received a $10,000 check the previous day for one month of housing Cole County inmates.

• Bonham reported electrical work associated with the generator was scheduled for the following day.

• Asked whether there had been progress in the drive-by shooting investigation, Bonham said “Yes, there is a tremendous amount, but we’re not at liberty to go any further than that.”

• Bonham also reported approximately an ounce of methamphetamine had been recovered from the steps of the Chamois Fire Department after an anonymous call.

• Bonham described a visit to the border the previous week, saying agents told him activity was slower than they could remember. He said government buses previously used to transport people were sitting unused.

He also relayed agents’ descriptions of drug trafficking methods, including methamphetamine transported in liquid form and drugs concealed in rail shipments. Bonham described equipment used to detect changes in cargo density and inspections of tanker seals and shipping information.

He said residents he spoke with, including people whose families had immigrated legally, expressed support for legal immigration and frustration with people entering illegally.

• Commissioners reviewed possible changes to rules for utility companies excavating or boring in county roads and rights of way. Logan shared Cole County’s procedures, saying the county needed stronger requirements to prevent future problems.

Presiding Commissioner Darryl Griffin found the county’s existing ordinance, which Logan pointed out still referenced Webster County, from which it was presumably obtained. Commissioners discussed adapting Cole County’s more detailed document, including removing references to positions Osage County does not have. Griffin requested a printed copy for review. No replacement policy was adopted.

• Commissioners also approved payments of $3,420 to Bradley Neier and $790 to Micheal Dudenhoeffer for easements associated with the CR 522 bridge project, with reimbursement expected from the Missouri Department of Transportation. Logan made the motion, and Eastern District Commissioner Jeff Peters seconded it. The motion passed with no opposition voiced.

Dudenhoeffer requested separate invoices identifying each landowner, the amount, and the reason for payment so the county would have documentation for its auditors and reimbursement request.

ROAD & BRIDGE

Road & Bridge Foreman Neil Mantle said employees were using the rainy day to inspect salt spreaders and hoses and prepare equipment for winter. He hoped to pick up the new trucks the next day and take them for outfitting, with completion expected no later than mid-November.

• Mantle and commissioners discussed concerns about holes beside the concrete approach at Sestak Slab and whether material had washed out underneath it. Peters said photographs showed holes against the concrete and expressed concern about the approach settling.

Mantle said the location had washed out previously and crews had pushed gravel back beneath the area they could reach. He initially proposed using a mirror and flashlight to see underneath.

“Something is not right there, and we need to address it before somebody falls through it,” Mantle said.

Mantle and Logan then went to inspect the location.

After returning from the inspection with Mantle, Logan said they still could not determine the extent of any void beneath the approach. He said Mantle planned to send a mini excavator to dig in front of it Wednesday or Thursday for a better look. Discussion also included using a camera to inspect the holes after photographs Mantle took with his phone failed to show enough.

• Mantle also planned to inspect a concrete box culvert on CR 322 near Chamois where residents were concerned erosion could cut off access during another rain.

• On CR 402, Mantle described a concrete box connecting three culverts. One pipe had been replaced, and another was beginning to collapse. Replacing it would require additional work on the box. He discussed rebuilding the structure, extending a pipe, and adding a top to reduce the open area beside the roadway.

Commissioners questioned the scope and price of proposed concrete work. Mantle said he would contact another contractor for a price and warned that heavy rain could wash gravel from around the pipe before the work was completed.

• Peters requested longer approaches at a CR 725A slab, saying the concrete crossing itself was in good condition but water repeatedly washed out its ends. He said crews had to return after rain to restore access, including access for an ambulance.

Mantle said the road was on the Federal Emergency Management Agency list, but the proposed approach extensions were not. Commissioners favored trying to add them, while acknowledging funding was uncertain.

• Peters also identified a deteriorating CR 319 slab where crews had repeatedly cut exposed rebar and patched concrete. Mantle said that location was already entered for FEMA consideration.

• A lengthy discussion of CR 241 focused on whether to move accumulated material from the bottom of a hill back onto the roadway or haul in additional material. Peters described exposed rock and said restoring the road properly would require substantial grading and rebuilding.

Mantle favored recovering existing material and reshaping the road rather than repeatedly covering problems. Peters agreed the reconstruction was needed but questioned how much time could be devoted to one location while other roads needed attention. Logan questioned moving a grader operator from the western district and asked what work would be delayed there.

Mantle said an experienced operator from Westphalia could perform the work without constant supervision. He said the department needed two full-time grader operators.

Peters reminded Logan the grader operator in that area only works two days per week.

• Discussion of washboarding included CR 401, where Dudenhoeffer reported a rough surface. Mantle said work was expected the following week and the road was scheduled for chip-and-seal in 2027.

• Dudenhoeffer clarified payroll procedures after Mantle raised a question about sick leave and compensatory time. She said sick leave could not be used to generate banked comp time and that she had reduced the sick leave needed because the employee had already worked additional hours.

• Dudenhoeffer also encouraged new employees to complete hiring paperwork in the clerk’s office so missing information would not delay payroll. Commissioners also discussed routing driver’s license checks through that office and helping employees complete online insurance enrollment.

• The road report for Oct. 27 - Nov. 2 showed quarry rock hauled on CR 302 (50.01T), 315 (465.26T); 6T quarry rock hauled to project site on CR 303; a culvert was replaced on CR 302; road work was done on Loose Creek Highway; asphalt was placed on 302 & 403, Loose Creek Highway, Old Mill Rd., & Scenic Acres; trees were trimmed on CR 435 & 512; brush mowers were working on CR 715, 717, & 718; and grader operators were active as follows: G02 (CR 212, 506), G03 (CR 201, 302, 304), G04 (CR 612, 613B), G05 (CR 701, 725A, 739, 754), & G06 (CR 231, 244, 310).

• Service truck ST48 (2009 Ford F550) was serviced in house. Plow trucks PT28 (2019 Ford F550), PT38 (2019 Ford F550), & PT47 (2009 Ford F450), car C36 (2020 Dodge Durango), pick-up truck T55 (2007 Ford Crew Cab), and dump truck DT57 (2026 International HV507 (white)) were serviced out of house.

• Compliments were received about 302 & 313.

911/Emergency Management

911/EMA Director Ron Hoffman said documentation for disaster declaration DR-4929 had been submitted, with a culvert cost breakdown still being prepared in response to a request for additional detail.

Peters asked Hoffman to pursue adding the CR 725A approaches to the disaster work. Hoffman said photographs and documentation would be needed.

• Hoffman planned to meet with Bonham the following day to review emergency contingency planning. He said the county’s existing plan addressed disruptions to electricity, internet, food, and fuel supplies, and the meeting could identify improvements. He also wanted to speak with water districts about infrastructure protection and backup plans.

• Hoffman reported the next-generation 911 (NG911) telephone testing had passed after approximately 60 hours of calls and testing.

• He said work on the geographic information system grant was progressing and the information needed to check the system for errors had been provided.

• Hoffman said he had taken care of CR 736 with adjacent property owner Mark Bomback. The road sections at each end of the vacated portion were renamed 736E and 736W. Peters thanked him for taking care of that.

• He also reported an increase in new addresses for single-family homes.

FINANCIAL

• Time sheets were approved by commissioners.

• The end-of-month bank balances for October totaled $16,165,374.07, including AS23 Assessment ($270,769.41), AX08 Annex Building ($305,560.10), BG89 Building & Grounds ($283,843.36), CC55 Conceal and Carry ($11,293.71), CI88 Capital Infrastructure ($1,608,607.16), DS61 DSSSF Fund ($240.00), ES48 Election Service ($23,066.57), FC46 Family Court ($36,000.81), GR01 General Revenue ($1,811,566.34), HD23 Health Department ($270,232.60), IS63 Inmate Security Fund ($32,077.25), JR60 Jail Renovation ($3,102,954.50), LATCF Local Assistance ($118,242.63), LE25 Law Enforcement ($2,261.56), LERF Law Enforcement Restitution ($8,815.15), LF38 Civil Fees ($7,055.43), OE22 Emergency Management ($113,580.08), OPIO Opiod Settlement ($130,441.97), PA18 Bad Check ($16,825.65), PA26 Prosecutor Training ($5,657.54), PB21 Pentecostal Bridge ($313,449.45), RB02 Road and Bridge ($1,581,727.59), RF36 Retirement ($80.36), RF42 Recorder’s Fund ($49,732.90), RR30 Rollback Reserve ($974,404.83), SE19 Special Eections ($5.00), SF49 Law Enforcement 911 ($465,384.27), SO26 Special Operations ($17,866.73), SR25 Sheriff Retirement ($120.00), UT33 Use Tax ($4,593,236.49), VD24 Domestic Violence ($2,214.58), and HA56 HAVA Elections ($8,060.05). Please note that not all of these funds are controlled by the county commissioners. Some are controlled by elected officials or committees.

The county also has $626,631.19 in CDs, including Road & Bridge ($122,551.95), Rollback Reserve ($475,343.13), and Law Enforcement 911 ($28,736.11).