COEUR d'ALENE - When a claim against the county is settled and there's a big price tag attached, the Idaho Counties Risk Management Plan often cuts the check.

Kootenai County is one of 800 member-owners of ICRMP, an insurance program for Idaho's public entities, from counties and cities to highway, irrigation, water and sewer districts.

Since 2010, ICRMP has paid more than $1 million in claims on behalf of Kootenai County. That figure doesn't include claims the insurer pays directly to the county, such as the $30,000 ICRMP paid to the county to cover wages for deputy prosecutor Kenneth D. Stone after he was fired and rehired.

The figure also doesn't include claims paid for damage to county property or claims the county paid directly from the county's coffers.

Kootenai County's premium is about $600,000 per year, according to Commissioner Todd Tondee.

"Kootenai County is doing well," Tondee said. "Our increases haven't been more than others. Because of the way ICRMP is set up, it's a pool for the counties. When an increase happens, it happens pool-wide."

ICRMP Executive Director Rick Ferguson said a number of factors determine premiums, including the size of the county operation, number of full-time employees, number of law enforcement officers, size of the jail and number of beds in the jail, property values and how much property the county has.

"If you build a new courthouse building, that's a significant piece of property that's worth millions," Ferguson said. "Just like if you move from a smaller home to a larger home, you pay a larger premium."

The number of claims paid and the size of those claims determine whether the premium goes up or down, he said.

"Kootenai County is one of Idaho's largest counties and their claims experience relative to their size is just about normal as far as we see," he said.

Tondee said the county has been able to save 5 percent per year on its premiums by taking advantage of training ICRMP offers for county employees.

Commissioner Dan Green said the county has become more aggressive about making ICRMP aware of claims.

"They're our insurer," he said. "They want to be aware of any liabilities we have out there because they help us mitigate liability."