Winamac Town Council Considers New Insurance Agency

Winamac Town Council members considered a change to the town’s insurance agent when members met in a special meeting Monday night.

The town’s current provider is Budd Insurance Agency. They offer the town liability and property insurance for $57,291 and workers’ compensation for $16,271 for a total charge of $73,562. The town received a counteroffer from ONI Risk Partners. Representative Alex Dickman noted that they could broaden the services for the town while simultaneously providing them at a lower cost.

ONI offered liability and property insurance at a cost of $45,038 and workers’ comp for $16,271 adding up to a total cost of $61,309. That’s a difference of $12,253 between what the town is currently receiving and what ONI is offering.

Both organizations go through the Indiana Public Employers Plan for workers’ compensation, hence the identical prices for that service.

Town Manager Brad Zellers mentioned that the Town’s insurance will be up for renewal on September 1st. The members noted that they didn’t have time to hold off on the decision until their next regular meeting so they took a vote on it during Monday’s special session.

A motion was made to switch over to ONI since they can offer additional services at a lower cost. Member Dan Vanaman voted against the motion, reporting that he didn’t feel comfortable approving it before the Town’s attorney had a chance to look it over. All other members voted in favor of the motion, so it passed.