Serving Local Public Entities
Minnesota county governments are the cornerstone of MCIT; however, other public entities and associated organizations are eligible for membership.
MCIT members are varied but share key characteristics:
- Entities applying for membership must demonstrate they are entitled to the immunities and the tort limits offered in Minnesota Statutes Chapter 466.
- Entities requesting membership must also demonstrate a commitment to risk management and loss control. MCIT reserves the right to decline membership to any entity that may pose a threat to the fiscal health of MCIT.
MCIT has more than 470 member entities that include:
- Counties
- Soil and water conservation districts
- Agricultural societies
- Historical societies
- Housing and economic development agencies
- Health and human services
- Water management services
- Lake improvement districts
- Solid waste management services
- Regional railroad authorities
- Libraries
- Health plans
- Transit systems
- Hospitals and nursing homes
- Parks and recreation services
- Other public entities
Risk Sharing Pools Differ from Insurance
A risk sharing pool, such as MCIT, offers membership benefits that are different from the traditional insurance market.
- Cost-effective: As a public entity, MCIT has no profit load, charges no premium taxes and pays no sales commissions, which control the costs of coverage.
- Tailored coverage: MCIT provides broad coverage developed to meet the unique exposures of public entities:
- Road maintenance equipment such as snow plows and road graders
- Specialty equipment such as for voting and rescue dives
- Law enforcement operations, including jails and canines
- Tree sales
- Drones (property and liability)
- Exposures arising from the Open Meeting Law, Minnesota Government Data Practices Act and land use decisions
- And others
- Long-term rate stability: Pooling spreads the cost of risk among the members, which stabilizes costs of coverage. Risk management and loss control consultants work with members to identify potential risks and develop strategies to mitigate them, which translates to rate stability.
- Dividends: Fund balance may be returned to members as dividends unlike a for-profit insurance company that distributes profits to shareholders.
- Member focused and responsive: The board of directors consists of county representatives who understand how their decisions will affect members. The MCIT staff is dedicated to assisting members with their questions and concerns. MCIT monitors emerging risks to offer advice, education and potential solutions to members.
Membership Comes with Benefits
MCIT offers its members additional benefits to participating in a risk sharing pool:
- Risk management and loss control advice: Loss control and risk management consultants respond to specific concerns members have and help them develop methods to address the issues.
- Training: Seminars and webinars, training videos and speakers give members a variety of ways to learn about managing their risk exposures.
- Resources and tools: Resources discuss specific risks and provide management recommendations.
- Employee Assistance Program: The EAP is provided to employees and officials of each member entity at no cost. The EAP gives individuals a way to seek support for personal concerns that may also affect their job performance.
- Minnesota Safety Council membership: MCIT membership includes membership in the Minnesota Safety Council, whose mission is to make Minnesota a safer and healthier place to live by helping to prevent unintentional injury at home, on the road, at work and at play. MCIT members have access to all of the Safety Council resources and consultation services as part of membership or for a reduced fee.
- PATROL discounted subscription: PATROL (Peace Officer Accredited Training Online) provides Web-based, on-demand training for Minnesota law enforcement to address Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) classroom requirements, as well as other important topics. Participating MCIT members pay a discounted annual subscription rate for each of its employees enrolled.