Records are essential to the administration of local government.
They contain the information that keeps government programs functioning.
It is the intent of this chapter that a records management program
is established which will assist officials in making decisions, administering
programs and providing administrative continuity with past operations.
The program is intended to document the delivery of services, show
the legal responsibilities of government and protect the legal rights
of citizens. It will contain information on taxation and on the management
and expenditure of funds. These records will also document the historical
development of government itself, the community and the people of
the Town.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
ARCHIVES
Those official records which have been determined by the
Officer and Advisory Committee to have sufficient historical or other
value to warrant the continued preservation by the Town.
RECORDS
Official files, minutes and documents, books, papers, photographs,
sound recordings, microforms or any other materials whether in print,
electronic and digital forms, including but not limited to records
scanned into an electronic content document management system versions,
made or received pursuant to law or in conjunction with transaction
of official Town business.
RECORDS CENTER
A central storage area maintained by the Records Management
Officer for the storage, servicing, security, and processing of records
which must be preserved by varying periods of time.
RECORDS DISPOSITION
The removal by the Town of Dover, in accordance with approved
records control schedules, of the records no longer necessary for
the conduct of business by such agency through removal methods, which
may include the disposition of temporary records by destruction (i.e.,
secure shredding), degaussing or overwriting or donation or transfer
of records to central storage facility for records by scheduled retention
periods or permanent storage of records determined to have historical
or sufficient value warranting continued preservation or the transfer
of records from one Town agency to another Town agency.
RECORDS MANAGEMENT
The planning, controlling, directing, organizing, training,
promotion and other managerial activities involved in records creation,
records maintenance and use and records disposition, including records
preservation, records disposal and the records center or other storage
facilities.
SERVICING
Making information in records available to agency for official
use or to the public.
The Records Management Officer shall have all the necessary
power to carry out the efficient administration, determination of
value, use, preservation, storage and disposition of the public records
kept, filed or received by the officers and departments of the Town.
A. The Records Management Officer shall continually survey and examine
public records to recommend their classification so as to determine
the most suitable method to be used for maintaining, storing and servicing
them under the following guidelines:
(1) Disposition. Records deemed obsolete and unnecessary according to
the New York State Retention and Disposition Schedule are subject
to disposition.
(2) Archival retention. Information containing administrative, legal,
fiscal, research, historical or educational value which warrants their
permanent retention.
(3) Active retention. Records not yet subject to disposition according
to state law.
B. The Records Management Officer and the IT Department shall establish
guidelines for proper records security and management of user active
directory applications as well as for records stored in an ECDMS of
the Town government.
C. The Records Management Officer shall report annually to the governing
body on the powers and duties herein mentioned, including but not
limited to the development and progress of programs to date and planning
activities for subsequent years.
D. The Records Management Officer shall operate a central records management
storage facility for storage, processing and servicing of all Town
records for all Town departments and agencies.
E. Additional requirements of the Records Management Officer include
but are not limited to:
(1) The development of a comprehensive records management program. Software
applications used by Town departments must have concurrent policies
and procedures established for the creation, use and management of
records prepared using these programs.
(2) The conduct of an initial survey and analysis of all records, to
be followed up annually with a report of records stored.
(3) The encouragement and coordination of the continuous legal destruction
of obsolete records through the adoption and use of the State Archive
Record Retention and Disposition Schedules.
(4) The development of suitable retention periods for records not covered
by the State Records Retention and Disposition Schedules. (Subsequently,
the RMO must secure approval of such retention periods from the New
York State Commissioner of Education and gain adoption from the Town
Board of any proposed change before the retention period takes effect.)
(5) The assistance to each department for the establishment of a records
management system to support the overall Town Records Management Program.
Encourage the continued efficient management of records within respective
departments.
(6) The setting up and overseeing of a center for the storage area.
(7) Maintaining archival materials which are not official Town records
but which have historical value to the community or a close relationship
to the existing archival collection. This shall be subject to archive
space, staff and cost limitations and to the potential endangerment
of such materials if they are not collected by the archives.
(8) The coordinating and carrying out or participating in the planning
for development of advanced records management systems and equipment.
(9) The preparation of special and annual reports for the Town Board
on records management program progress, cost savings and cost avoidance
problems and additional issues.
(10) To provide Town staff with ongoing training, updates and technical
assistance on comprehensive records management policies and procedures.
F. Oversee all requests for records storage equipment, microfilm equipment,
etc., and coordinate and participate in the planning for the expansion
of micrographic and automated data systems.