9. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES:

Lease Obligations

The Company leases various office and warehouse facilities and equipment under noncancellable operating leases. Rents charged to expense under these operating leases totaled approximately $7.1 million and $6.1 million in fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2018, respectively.

At September 2019 the minimum future lease commitments were as follows:


	Operating
Fiscal Year Ending	Leases
2020	$	6,468,837
2021		5,418,617
2022		4,299,261
2023		3,216,671
2024		2,456,810
Thereafter		2,387,618
Total minimum lease payments	$	24,247,814

Liability Insurance

The Company carries property, general liability, vehicle liability, directors’ and officers’ liability and workers’ compensation insurance. Additionally, the Company carries an umbrella liability policy to provide excess coverage over the underlying limits of the aforementioned primary policies.

The Company’s insurance programs for workers’ compensation, general liability, and employee related health care benefits are provided through high deductible or self‑insured programs. Claims in excess of self‑insurance levels are fully insured subject to policy limits. Accruals are based on historical claims experience, actual claims filed, and estimates of claims incurred but not reported.

The Company’s liabilities for unpaid and incurred, but not reported claims, for workers’ compensation, general liability, and health insurance at September 2019 and September 2018 was $1.5 million and $1.6 million, respectively. These amounts are included in accrued expenses in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets. While the ultimate amount of claims incurred is dependent on future developments, in the Company’s opinion, recorded reserves are adequate to cover the future payment of claims previously incurred. However, it is possible that recorded reserves may not be adequate to cover the future payment of claims.

Adjustments, if any, to claims estimates previously recorded, resulting from actual claim payments, are reflected in operations in the periods in which such adjustments are known.

A summary of the activity in the Company’s self‑insured liabilities reserve is set forth below (in millions):


	2019		2018
Beginning balance	$	1.6	$	1.5
Charged to expense		5.4		5.8
Payments		(5.5)		(5.7)
Ending balance	$	1.5	$	1.6