Residents of the City of Pacific got good news Monday night.
They might get to keep their city after all.
City Council members said at their meeting that they’re hopeful the city will find liability insurance for Pacific by the end of the year, when its current provider says it will stop coverage.
“We are feeling pretty hopeful about the insurance situation,” council president Leanne Guier said.
The city’s broker expects to get an offer from another insurance provider by the end of the week, though the price is unknown and the policy would be more limited than Pacific’s current coverage, Guier said.
Pacific’s current insurance provider has said it will stop coverage at the end of the year if the city’s situation does not stabilize. It denied the council’s request for an extension last week.
Since being elected last year, Mayor Cy Sun has been arrested trying to enter the clerk’s office and was ordered by a court to replace employees who resigned or were fired under his tenure. Some residents are in the middle of a campaign to recall him.
Both King and Pierce counties passed resolutions this month to offer emergency services if Pacific loses insurance, and the city’s council has been preparing to disincorporate or be annexed by neighboring Auburn as a contingency plan.
Guier has said that without insurance, city employees could be personally liable while on the job.
Two council votes – one to move forward with annexation by Auburn and another to have residents vote on disincorporation – were postponed Monday until Dec. 26.
If the new insurance offer comes through, the roughly 100-year-old city will keep its coverage and its name.
alexis.krell@thenewtribune.com
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