The Risk Pool’s Annual Photo Contest: Submit Your City Limits Sign Photo to be Featured in Our Calendars!
Each year, the Risk Pool mails a wall and desk calendar to every Member. We also distribute those and a special “pocket planner” at our exhibit booth (#724 this year) at the TML Annual Conference and Exhibition. A new tradition is our annual photo contest for the cover of the calendars! This year, we’re looking for funny, interesting, and/or clever photos featuring your city limits sign! Please send your photo(s) to memberservices@tmlirp.org by July 15, 2024. A winner will be selected by a committee comprised of Risk Pool staff members. Here are some guidelines to follow: (1) each Member may submit a maximum of two photos; (2) submissions should comply with applicable copyright regulations and those with identifiable faces must include an appropriate written waiver; and (3) files should be no larger than 4MB in .jpg or .png format (higher resolution files may be requested from the winner).
CRITICAL ALERT: Cyber Coverage Changes
Since 2016, when the TML Risk Pool first began offering Cyber Liability and Data Breach Response Coverage (“Cyber Coverage”), cyber claims have exponentially increased in both frequency and severity. Future cybercriminal activity is impossible to predict, which means neither the Pool nor any other insurer can rely on past patterns and trends to predict future losses. That’s why the Board of Trustees recently created a new Cyber Fund and approved changes to the Pool’s Coverage structure, effective on October 1, 2024. Members should receive a packet via regular mail with further instructions, including the requirement “opt-in” by completing and returning a Cyber Interlocal Agreement to participate in the newly-created Cyber Fund. (Each Member must follow their own statutory and local policies related to contract approval prior to signing.) Members that don’t follow the opt-in procedures will lose their existing Cyber Coverage effective at midnight on September 30, 2024. (Click here for more information.)
Cyber Corner: TWO Super-Easy Ways to Complete State-Mandated Cyber Security Training (Due August 31, 2024)!
State law mandates cybersecurity training for local government employees, elected officials, and appointed officials who have access to a local government computer system or database and use a computer to perform at least 25 percent of their duties. The Department of Information Resources (DIR) has certified that city and other local officials and employees can satisfy the requirement by EITHER:
The video and podcast include an optional test and follow the antics of the Risk Pool Cyber Guy — Ryan Burns — and his buddy — Hacker Hank — as they discuss ways that “Hank Hacks” trick local government employees into sending money, downloading ransomware, and more! But wait, there’s more! Risk Pool Members can log in to the Online Learning Center to view the video, use an optional test, and track attendance!
Cities and other local governments must certify that the appropriate officials and employees have completed the training. Check out the description next to the video or podcast — or in the Online Learning Center — for instructions on how to do so. Contact Ryan at rburns@tmlirp.org or 512-491-3427 with any cyber-related questions.
Updates and More
Risk Pool Board of Trustees Adopts 2024–2025 Rates
Risk Pool Members will receive their fiscal year 2024–2025 declarations in the coming months. For 2024–2025, rates have begun to stabilize in the wake of the pandemic and several large property losses. Listen to Episode 32 of the “Local Officials: Stronger, Together Podcast” for interviews with Pool staff and more details. (Your Risk Management Advisor will contact you to review this year’s changes and how they will impact your entity.) That being said, inflation and continued major convective storm (wind and hail) damage make modest Property Coverage increases unavoidable. Despite these pressures, the Pool will increase overall rates across all lines of coverage by just 2.9 percent, considerably less than the current rate of inflation. The increases — and proper apportionment of costs among Members — ensure relative rate stability compared to the commercial insurance marketplace and other competitors. Through volatile times, the Pool’s fidelity to its Core Values (Integrity, Public Service, Fiscal Responsibility, and Operational Excellence) continue to provide Members with the best source of local government risk management and financing. (Read more.)
Board of Trustees Election In 1973, the Texas Legislature passed legislation mandating that Texas cities provide workers' compensation coverage to their employees. At that time, most traditional insurance companies refused to write the coverage or quoted exorbitant rates. For those reasons, the Texas Municipal League and several cities “pooled” their resources to do it themselves. Using contracts called “interlocal agreements,” they created the “Texas Municipal League Workers' Compensation Joint Insurance Fund.” The Fund began operating on July 1, 1974, with close to 100 members. In the 50 years since, the Pool added Liability, Property, and Cyber Coverages, and now consists of more than 2,700 local government Members, including 95 percent of Texas Cities. The Pool is governed by a 17-member Board of Trustees, most of whom are city officials. The Board is comprised of fifteen voting Members, twelve of whom are elected by the Pool’s membership to serve staggered, six-year terms. It’s time for nominations to fill Places 11 to 14 on the Board —click here for details.
New Coverage Offering: Reimbursement of First Responder Injury/Illness Leave Supplemental Income Gap Expenses New legislation — H.B. 471 (2023) — enacted a state law that requires a city (and any other political subdivision — the term “city” here includes those) to provide a firefighter, police officer, or emergency medical services employee a leave of absence for an illness or injury related to their line of duty. The leave is with “full pay” for a period “commensurate with the nature of the line of duty illness or injury,” up to at least one year.
The benefits afforded by H.B. 471 are offset by workers’ compensation benefits. Beginning October 1, 2024, the Risk Pool will provide a line of coverage that can assist Members with some of the cost of an H.B. 471 offset. More specifically, a Pool Member with Workers’ Compensation and General Liability Coverage can elect to purchase the “Reimbursement of First Responder Injury/Illness Leave Supplemental Income Gap Expenses” Endorsement.
The Endorsement is designed to help a Member offset some of the “gap” using a pre-set formula based on workers’ compensation benefit calculations. To emphasize, the payment is to the Member entity, not the individual first responder. Depending on a first responder’s pay, how a city implements H.B. 471, and other factors, the endorsement may not fully cover the “gap” between a first responder’s workers’ compensation benefit and their “full pay.” (Read more.)
Summaries of Annual Coverage Document Changes The Pool's Board of Trustees, acting on behalf of the Members, recently approved several changes to the Property and Liability Coverage Documents, which will become effective October 1, 2024. Pool staff has prepared summaries of the most important substantive changes and clarifications. Members should always review the actual coverage documents each year, which are available in the Member Portal.
Meet a Trustee: Bert Lumbreras For the latest installment of “Meet a Trustee,” Pool Staff interviewed retired city manager Bert Lumbreras, who holds an Appointed Citizen Position on the Pool’s Board of Trustees and serves as the Board’s Vice-Chair. What did Bert always want to be when he grew up? An astronaut, a firefighter, or a sports star? (More on the sports star later.) Nope, he knew he wanted to be a city manager. “I just got so intrigued by government, civics, and social studies — the whole thing about community,” he said during a recent interview. “I didn’t want to work in the fields forever, as I had as a child.” Bert’s family were migrant farm workers, caravaning around the country to pick crops for the summer. He’s proud of his upbringing because his parents always provided for him and his seven siblings. “Their work put food on our table and helped us purchase school supplies, but I wanted something more.” (Read more.)
Risk Pool Board Recognizes Former Trustee Byron Black At their April 2024 meeting, the Pool’s Board of Trustees recognized retired Board Member Byron Black for his long service. Mr. Black has more than 25 years in public service. He served his community as Mayor of Burleson, a member of the Burleson City Council, and a member of the Burleson School Board (during his tenure he was president of Texas Association of School Boards). His most recent service was chairman of the Johnson County Central Appraisal District. Thank you for your service, Byron!
Member Spotlight: City of Round Rock Parks and Recreation Department Communication Boards The Play for All Foundation, which helps manage and oversee The Play for All Abilities Park in Round Rock, has implemented a college student’s idea to assist individuals who have trouble communicating verbally. According to KUT News online, Caroline Osborn — now a graduate student in speech-language pathology at the University of Houston — highlighted the benefits of “communication boards” in playgrounds in her senior capstone project at the University of Texas.
The brightly colored boards feature different combinations of letters, numbers and symbols that help individuals better communicate non-verbally. They can be found in four areas in The Play for All Abilities park. “You point to the symbol or picture of what you're trying to communicate,” Osborn said. “So, if you’re trying to say you’re ‘hot,’ you can point to the symbol representing ‘hot.’ The idea is that it’s another way to communicate besides using words.” The boards can help, for example, “adults with traumatic brain injuries, kids with autism … even babies,” she said. Congratulations to the City and Ms. Osborn for enriching the lives of Round Rock park patrons!
Risk Management Minute: ADA Website Requirements Update — Small Entity Compliance Guide The U.S. Department of Justice has published a Small Entity Compliance Guide to help local governments understand the new web content and mobile application (app) accessibility requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This guide follows the recent publication of a final rule to improve web and mobile app access for people with disabilities. The rule clarifies how local governments can meet their existing ADA obligations as many of their activities move to the digital space. The rule adopts a technical standard for web and mobile accessibility to ensure that people with disabilities can better access important public services like health care, voting, and education.
Service in Focus: Safety @ Your Finger T.I.P.S. Text Messaging — Sign Up Now! The TML Risk Pool wants every employee to go home safe, every time. We are proud to introduce Safety @ Your Finger T.I.P.S. to support that mission. Safety @ Your Finger T.I.P.S. (“Together Improving Processes and Safety”) is a new text-message initiative designed to increase your awareness of safety-related hazards and exposures in the workplace and apply that knowledge in your day-to-day work or as a discussion topic in your safety/tailgate meetings.
In addition to safety information, you can sign up to receive notifications about weather and emergency management updates, training programs, and the R.O.A.D. Ready initiative that’s designed to save lives, prevent injuries, and protect property by raising awareness of dangers on and near roadways. Go to https://info.tmlirp.org/textsignup now to sign up today!
