On Tuesday, the Troup County Board of Commissioners approved an update to the county’s insurance claims policy that will alter how claims against the county are processed.

“The policy has always had an unwritten policy on insurance claims,” County Manager Tod Tentler said. “If someone was riding down the road and they hit a pothole, they want us to fix their vehicle. Well, the law says that if we didn’t know about it at least 72 hours in advance then we are not really responsible for it, so over the years it has been ‘do we want to this? Do we want to do that?’ And we think it should be a set policy that we turn every one of them over to our insurance company and let them make the decision.”

The updated policy will ensure claims are handled impartially while removing county staff from the role of intermediaries.

“When I get a claim like that, the first thing I do is call the road department and ask ‘were you aware that this pothole existed?” Purchasing Director Diana Evans said. “If we are not, then I can normally say this is what the law says and this is what we do. Now we want the insurance company to do that so that they can tell them.”

Other claims beyond road work will be covered under the policy as well.

The Troup County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to meet again on Oct. 12 at 9 a.m. at 100 Ridley Ave.