The early to mid years of the 1980’s showed a volatile and sometimes limited market for township insurance coverages. The cost of insurance continued to increase and became very difficult to budget. In late 1985 a group of township officials met to discuss the problem.
Their decision that day was simple. Townships could solve the problem of insurance in a variety of ways; all they had to do was select one. The selected solution was to form an intergovernmental pool exclusively for townships in the State of Illinois. On June 1, 1986, TOIRMA became a reality with a loan of $5,000 from the Township Officials of Illinois and the admonition that this was a lot of money and they wanted it back! Proudly, the money was quickly returned to TOI and 181 townships joined TOIRMA that first year. The first two townships to enter TOIRMA on June 1, 1986 were Arrowsmith Township / McLean County and Homer Township / Will County. Both townships have maintained their membership continuously from that date.
Those first years were not easy. Much of the work to be done was uncharted and presented a formidable task. The purpose was clear – to provide members with the most complete coverage available to Illinois Townships at an affordable cost.
The TOIRMA Program has grown since 1986 to one of the largest pools by membership in the United States and continues to increase in membership. As of April 30, 2008 there are 1,341 townships/road districts and 313 multi-township assessing districts. Over 90% of the townships, road districts from commission counties, and multi-township assessing districts in Illinois are members of TOIRMA.
The program provides a complete package of coverage for its members, including General Liability, Auto Liability, Public Officials Liability, Property, Auto Physical Damage, Inland Marine, Workers’ Compensation, Treasurer’s Bond, and Accidental Death & Dismemberment. The program also includes coverages specific to townships, such as Bridge Coverage ($50,000 limit) and the Human Resources Help Line.
Besides providing a full line of coverages tailored to the needs of townships, the program also provides administrative support, claims management, and loss control.
The program Mission Statement provides that TOIRMA will maintain a stable contribution level and we are proud of that accomplishment. We also have a long-standing history of paying an annual dividend. This past year the dividend was 15% and returned $1,673,960 to 1,259 qualifying members. During the 17-year history of dividends, over $20,000,000 has been returned to qualifying members.
TOIRMA has had 100% renewal twelve of the past thirteen years. We look at this as a testimony to service and cost and feel fortunate to have a dedicated membership like Illinois Townships.