Belgium committee agrees that flood insurance is all wet

By MITCH MAERSCH

Ozaukee Press staff

The Village of Belgium doesn’t have flood insurance and its Finance and Personnel Committee doesn’t think it should get any.

The committee on Monday unanimously voted against seeking flood insurance after determining it isn’t worth the cost or effort.

Clerk Julie Lesar said flood insurance was eliminated from the village because no other carriers are providing it, citing information from commercial insurance advisor Eric Meinen of Ansay and Associates.

An individual policy, she said, would have to be done on a per-building basis.

“I have to think if local providers are not providing it, if we were to find a provider it would be at some pretty good chunk of change,” committee member Rose Sauers said.

“There’s a reason they don’t provide it,” committee member Dan Wolff said.

Sauers said she thinks it’s more important that sewer backup and discharge is covered by insurance.

“I would think that would be the greatest concern for liability on the village’s part,” she said.

Lesar said the heavy rains of 2018 that caused flooding was covered by insurance since Ozaukee County was declared a disaster area.

“We were able to get money back,” Lesar said.