Cities & Villages Mutual Insurance Company (CVMIC) has agreed in an enforceable court settlement that it is a governmental entity subject to both Public Records and Open Meetings Laws.  The settlement resolves a lawsuit brought by Greg Gilsinger, CVMIC’s former Director of Worker’s Compensation Claims.

CVMIC was created in 1987 by 20 municipalities under a state statute that allows cities and villages to join together to create mutual insurance companies.  Today it has approximately 57 member municipalities and three municipal utility members.  CVMIC insures its members for a variety of risks including general liability, law enforcement liability, workers compensation, and automobile liability.  It is governed by a 7-member board populated entirely by representatives of its member municipalities.

Prior to this settlement, CVMIC had claimed it was not a governmental entity and did not have to follow records and meetings laws (although it had produced records under protest).  But simultaneously, CVMIC was claiming many of the benefits of being a government entity, including claiming federal and state tax exemptions, operating under unemployment and retirement rules reserved for government entities, using governmental retirement plans, and applying to participate in the Wisconsin Retirement System.

In March of this year, Gilsinger filed verified complaints in Dane, Door, and Milwaukee Counties alleging that CVMIC meetings held in those counties were not preceded by public notice and held in open session as required by Wisconsin’s Open Meetings Law.  He followed those verified complaints up with a Dane County lawsuit in July.  The settlement resolves all of those complaints, with CVMIC stipulating that it is a “governmental body” subject to the Open Meetings Law and an “authority” subject to the Public Records Law.

“I am grateful to attorney Tom Kamenick and the Wisconsin Transparency Project for effectuating a resolution that ensures CVMIC’s transparency for its government operations,” said Gilsinger.

Other municipal insurance companies organized like CVMIC include League of Wisconsin Municipalities Mutual Insurance and Wisconsin Municipalities Mutual Insurance Company.

A copy of the stipulation and the court’s order entering that stipulation are attached.  A copy of the complaint can be obtained by contacting Attorney Kamenick