Cecilia Nasmith/Today’s Northumberland
Cobourg council voted Monday to accept the recommendation from its insurance broker McDougall Insurance Brokers Ltd. to renew the comprehensive insurance program it holds with the Frank Cowan Company for the year beginning Oct. 1.
The bill of $544,054 includes all applicable taxes.
Inflation notwithstanding, Councillor Forrest Rowden was floored at the tab.
“Looking back as far as 25 years ago, some of these insurance bills were in the neighbourhood of $50,000. Now it’s 10 times that amount,” Rowden said.
Mayor Gil Brocanier reminded Rowden that most of his experience as a municipal councillor was in neighbouring Hamilton Township, a rural and less-populated area.
“That may have been true of Hamilton Township – I don’t know if the Town of Cobourg was ever that low,” Brocanier said.