The question before the Napa City Council was a provocative one. In the words of Finance Director Jed Christensen: “Dare we go bare?”

Christensen was not suggesting a strip tease, but rather discussing earthquake insurance for the city’s 21 buildings, including City Hall, the Senior Center and the police and fire stations.

The cost of insuring $54.5 million worth of buildings against quake damage soared 121 percent from this year to next, from $119,000 to $263,000.

For a city facing service cutbacks in next year’s budget, this big jump in the premium prompted a soul-searching review of whether the risk was worth the cost.

The vast majority of Napa homeowners reject quake insurance, deciding the risk is small enough, the deductible too large, that they will “go bare.”

On Tuesday night, Christensen did not recommend the city risk a roll of the earthquake dice, but he did suggest a way of economizing. Dropping coverage on the three downtown parking garages would save nearly $55,000, he said.

Built in the 1980s, the garages are new enough that they should be able to withstand a good-sized jolt without collapsing, Christensen said.

Councilman Jim Krider asked if the city should consider letting other buildings go without quake coverage. While this would put the city in a risky position, “times are tough,” he said.

Kent Imrie, an insurance broker with Malloy, Imrie & Vasconi Insurance Services, urged caution. “The ones that cost the most are the ones that need insurance the most,” he said.

The two buildings with the highest premiums are the major water treatment plants. It will cost $64,760 to cover the Lake Hennessey water treatment plant and $50,040 for the Jamieson Canyon plant.

Together, these treatment facilities have an insured value of nearly $22 million.

The council unanimously agreed to remove the garages from next year’s insurance policy. More than half of next year’s $227,000 premium will be paid by city water customers and not from the city’s general fund, Christensen said.

Commercial rates soared because of the recent spate of disasters worldwide, including Hurricane Katrina, Imrie said. These disasters do not affect the residential market for earthquake insurance, he said.

The city’s policy is limited to $25 million per quake, with a 15 percent deductible.

City Hall has an insured value of $2.6 million. Other values are: police station, $3.6 million; downtown fire station, $1.4 million; senior center buildings, $1.5 million; golf course pro shop/cafe, $1 million, and the new fire station on Gasser Drive, $2.2 million.

The three garages have an insured value of $10.7 million.