Welcome to the first electronic issue of The Mutual Effort Online, the publication of the Wisconsin County Mutual Insurance Corporation and Community Insurance Corporation.  This new electronic format will feature interactive articles, audio and video links and timely industry news.   

 

To ensure you receive The Mutual Effort Online in your inbox, please subscribe by clicking here. 

 

The Wisconsin County Mutual Insurance Corporation will be at the Wisconsin Counties Association Annual Conference September 26-27, 2011 in Wisconsin Dells.  The County Mutual's booth in the WCA Marketplace, which is being held in Suites I-VIII in the Kalahari Resort & Convention Center, is BOOTH #503.

 

Take a moment to stop by booth #503 to learn more about the County Mutual, view the 2010 County Mutual Dividend Sign to see how much your member county is receiving, and chat with our risk management and claims staff to learn more about the comprehensive services the County Mutual provides to our 53 member counties.

The WCA Marketplace is open Monday, September 26th from 10 a.m.-6:45 p.m. and again Tuesday, September 27th from 7:30-10:30 a.m.

To see the full agenda for the WCA Annual Conference, click here.
 

 

The 2011 Annual Representative Assembly was held August 26th in Stevens Point, with over 100 people in attendance.  This year's keynote speaker was Ted Nickel, Commissioner, Office of the Commissioner of Insurance.  A full slate of speakers rounded out the day, with County Mutual President Lee Rymer giving a president's report and Treasurer Bill Barribeau presenting his report on the financial status of the company.  

Aegis Corporation's Vice President of Risk Management Vance Forrest spoke on a variety of risk management topics, including workers' compensation.  Jodi Traas, loss control representative also with Aegis Corporation, discussed the cost of not managing risk.  Dave Bisek, senior vice president of claims and litigation management with Aegis Corporation, presented on the claims process.

 

A corporate management report was presented by Jon Hochkammer, WCA Director of Insurance Operations and Robert Wurtz and John Dirkse of Aegis Corporation gave their general administrator's report.   

To view the full agenda from the 2011 Annual Representative Assembly, click here. 

 

 

Demonstrating their close and unique working partnership with counties, the Wisconsin County Mutual Insurance Corporation (County Mutual) will once again issue dividend payments to their member counties. The dividends from 2010 will be given to 54 counties and two county programs.  The dividends total $1 million.

"In these tight economic times, now more than ever it is important that counties are able to wisely use their resources.  The County Mutual continually thrives because of the close relationship between member counties and this company," said Jon H. Hochkammer, Director of Insurance Operations for the Wisconsin Counties Association (WCA), the corporate manager of the County Mutual.  "Because of the dedication of member counties and the County Mutual, we are once again able to return taxpayer dollars to member counties and we are proud of the work we do that benefits all of Wisconsin."  

The County Mutual provides comprehensive liability insurance to three-quarters of the 72 counties in the state.  In addition to the 54 counties, three county programs also received dividend checks. 

 

For a full dividend listing, click here. 

 

On July 8, 2011, Governor Walker made Wisconsin the 49th state to legalize the carrying of concealed weapons when he signed into law 2011 Wisconsin Act 35, the Carrying Concealed Weapon 2011.

Phillips Borowski, S.C. has written a memo to provide counties with an overview of their rights and responsibilities under the new law and provide guidance into drafting ordinances that may be required to comply with the Concealed Carry Law.

To read the full article by Phillips Borowski, S.C., click here.

 

Nothing in recent history compares to the sweeping changes to the collective bargaining, WRS and health insurance rules contained in Governor Walker's Budget Repair Bill.

 

To help counties navigate through this unknown area, the Wisconsin County Mutual Insurance Corporation, in conjunction with Phillips Borowski, S.C., created a consortium of member counties to work together to provide guidance, discussion and a forum to network solutions.  To date, there are over 40 counties and other entities that are participating in the consortium.  

 

To learn more, click here.

 

 

From guarding inmates in county jails to filling potholes as traffic whizzes precariously close to highway employees, the work of providing services to the taxpayers comes with inherent risks. To help keep county workers safe, loss control staff for the Wisconsin County Mutual Insurance Corporation (County Mutual) crisscross our state every year, logging thousands of miles and hundreds of hours, meeting with member counties to ensure they are operating as safely as possible.

Nearly every week, you can find loss control representatives providing safety training on a wide variety of topics, from slips and falls to workplace violence. On any given year, close to 500 on-site safety visits are made to County Mutual member counties, always free of charge.

One of the more visible training events is the annual highway safety rodeo, typically held in conjunction with the Wisconsin County Highway Association's Annual Summer Conference.    

 

This year's winners include:

 

First Place: Darren Smedema, Columbia County

Second Place: Terry Schaetzka, Adams County

Third Place: Shea Eastman, Sauk County

Fourth Place: Marshall Ritter, Jefferson County

Top Non-Finalist-Road Course: Steve Farber, Sauk County

Top Non-Finalist-Written Test: Josh Kalch, Polk County

 

To view photos from the event, click here.

 

 

As the new school year is about to begin, there have been new regulations from the Department of Commerce regarding the anchoring and securing of movable soccer goals.

 

To read the full article, click here.

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