Iowa City negotiating settlement privately

The city of Iowa City is attempting to negotiate an insurance settlement after last year’s costly landfill fire, but details of the talks won’t be made public unless an agreement is reached. Earlier this month, the City Council entered into a confidentiality agreement with The Travelers Companies requiring that the content of their settlement meetings be kept private, except when disclosure is required by law. The city is locked in a dispute with Travelers over its insurance claim after the fire destroyed a landfill cell and caused an estimated $3.5 million in damage. Before the fire, the landfill cell was not included among a list of municipal assets on the city’s insurance policy.