Counties get state insurance co-op checks

LINCOLN, Neb. — Five area counties will receive more than $24,000 in dividends, or more than a half-million dollars since they joined the Nebraska Intergovernmental Risk Management Association II governmental workers compensation coverage and risk management and self insurance program.

Red Willow County only joined NIRMA/II recently and did not receive a dividend this year.

They are, listed by county, this year’s dividend and total since the year they joined: Chase, $5,473, $110,832 since 1997; Dundy, $6,682, $120,044 2003; Frontier, $5,152, $105,880, 2002; Hayes, $3,564, $136,110 1989; Hitchcock, $3,398, $60,756 since 2002.

Each county is receiving its part of a planned $1 million distribution shared by 83 Nebraska counties and eight county-associated agencies during NIRMA’s annual membership meeting last week in Kearney.

NIRMA/II is owned and governed by the 84 member counties and 27 county-associated public entities it serves. This marks the 37th time since 1991 and the 28th consecutive year the program will have been able to return funds by year’s end, totaling $26 million to its members and ultimately their local property taxpayers. It is able to issue dividends due to the program’s solid financial standings, as aided by the members’ online loss prevention efforts.

NIRMA/II was created by 32 counties in 1988 as the state’s first governmental risk management and self-insurance program. For 35 years, this pooling initiative has provided affordable coverage and comprehensive risk management and loss prevention services to Nebraska counties and related public agencies.