Coverage & Risk

Q1. A city vehicle was damaged. What do I do now?

Q2. Can someone help me review a service contract?

Q3. How can I prevent cyber attacks on my city’s systems when I don’t have tech staff?

Q4. Our city is sponsoring a summer picnic and there will be beer available; however, we are not charging for it. Do we need to have liquor liability coverage for this event?

Q5. Are city volunteers covered by our workers’ compensation coverage?

Q6.What should we do if a city employee is injured on the job?

Q7: How often should our city repair sidewalks?

Q8: We need to hire seasonal positions. How do we properly onboard new employees in this situation?

Q1: A city vehicle was damaged. What do I do now?

A1: Under the League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust, the auto liability coverage provides coverage for amounts members are legally obligated to pay as damages because of bodily injury or property damage arising out of the ownership, maintenance, or use of any automobile. Claims can be submitted to LMCIT using any of the following formats:

Read about auto liability coverage in the Auto Coverage Guide

Q2: Can someone help me review a service contract?

A2: Yes! Under the League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust’s liability rating system, cities can potentially reduce their liability premium if service contracts  adequately reduce the city’s liability exposure. Service contracts can be sent to LMCIT Risk Management Attorney Chris Smith at [email protected] for review.

Learn more about LMCIT’s Contract Review Service

Q3: How can I prevent cyber attacks on my city’s systems when I don’t have tech staff?

A3: The best defense for a city is to go back to the three fundamental components of security: people, processes, and technology. Here are a few suggestions to help prevent cybercrime within your city departments:

• By far the most common method for an attack is through phishing. Help city employees understand phishing and have a set process so they know how to alert others if something looks suspicious.
• Encourage and educate employees about strong passwords. Passwords are the most attractive target for cyber attackers.
• Incorporate processes for additional layers of security like multi-factor authentication. This method uses a password and something else in combination to allow access. For example, a password and a code sent via text or phone call to validate the login.
• Evaluate your city’s technology for simplicity. The more complex the technology, the more difficult it is to keep secure.
• Look at your most critical systems or data and focus on protecting those assets first.

Join our eRisk Hub where you can find free video training and other great tools for security. Access the e-Risk hub.

You can also access web-based safety courses through NEOGOV. Access NEOGOV Safety Training.

Q4: Our city is sponsoring a summer picnic and there will be beer available; however, we are not charging for it. Do we need to have liquor liability coverage for this event?

A4: No. The city does not need liquor liability coverage if it will only be serving alcohol and not selling it. The city must be certain, however, there is no sale. For example, if the city is selling admission tickets and the beer is free, that could be considered the sale of alcohol and in that case, liquor liability coverage would be needed.

See Section II.K, Liquor Liability of the LMCIT Liability Coverage Guide for more information.

Q5: Are city volunteers covered by our workers’ compensation coverage?

A5: Emergency response volunteers, including paid on-call emergency volunteers, are defined by statute as “employees” for purposes of workers’ compensation. That means they automatically have coverage under your policy if they’re registered with and work under the direction and control of the city.

All other volunteers, like coaches and volunteers working on a city-sponsored festival, are covered by LMCIT’s volunteer accident coverage. While benefits are more limited than workers’ compensation, there is some protection for volunteers on a no-fault basis, if those volunteers are working under the city’s direction and control.

See Section I.C.7, Emergency Response Employees and Volunteers and Section I.C.8, All Other Volunteers of the LMCIT Workers’ Compensation Guide for more information.

Q6: What should we do if a city employee is injured on the job?

A6: Members should file the injury on a First Report of Injury (FROI) form. An employee must report an injury to their employer within 180 days of its occurrence. The employer must then report the claimed injury to LMCIT within 10 days of the employer’s first knowledge of its occurrence. If the employee’s supervisor or manager knows about the injury, the employer is also considered to have knowledge of the injury. Be sure supervisory staff know their responsibilities. (If an employee is killed or suffers a life-threatening injury, it must be reported to LMCIT within 24 hours of the occurrence so LMCIT can submit to the Department of Labor and Industry within its 48-hour deadline. Within eight hours of the occurrence, the employer must also call Minnesota OSHA at (651) 284-5050 or (877) 470-6742.)

See the Claims Section of the LMC website to access claim forms, and the LMC website for more information on Workers’ Compensation Claim Management.

Q7: How often should our city repair sidewalks?

A7: LMCIT created a model policy that addresses a city’s duty to inspect and maintain sidewalks, which focuses on the discretion and professional judgment of the public works department, for example, to determine whether and when sidewalks need to be replaced or repaired.

Learn more in the LMCIT informational memo, Acquisition and Maintenance of City Streets and model policy, Sidewalk Inspection and Maintenance.

Q8: We need to hire seasonal positions. How do we properly onboard new employees in this situation?

A8: All seasonal workers must be trained as if they are full-time employees. Employers must cover all MN OSHA required training, all task-specific training (e.g., training must be provided annually for special equipment and tasks including forklifts, lawnmowers, and scissor lifts), and provide all correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Learn more about OSHA safety requirements on the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry website.

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