The Officer shall have all the necessary powers to carry out the efficient
administration, determination of value, use, preservation, storage and disposition
of the noncurrent and archival public records kept, filed or received by the
offices and departments of the Town of Deerpark.
A. The Records Management Officer shall continually survey
and examine public records to recommend their classification so as to determine
the most suitable methods to be used for the maintaining, storing and servicing
of archival material:
(1) Obsolete and unnecessary records according to New York
State Records Retention and Disposition Schedules thereby subject to disposition;
or
(2) Information containing administrative, legal, fiscal,
research historical or educational value which warrant their permanent retention;
or
(3) Records not subject to disposition according to state
law.
B. Establish guidelines for proper records management in
any department or agency of the Town of Deerpark in accordance with local,
state and federal laws and guidelines.
C. Report annually to the chief executive official and the
governing body on the powers and duties herein mentioned, including, but not
limited to, the cost/benefit ratio of programs effectuated by the department.
D. The Officer shall operate a Records Management Center
for the storage, processing and servicing of all noncurrent and archival records
for all Town of Deerpark departments and agencies.
E. The Officer shall establish a Town of Deerpark Archives
and perform the following functions:
(1) Advise and assist Town of Deerpark departments in reviewing
and selecting material to be transferred to the Archives for preservation.
(2) Continually survey and examine public records to determine
the most suitable methods to be used for the creating, maintaining, storing,
and servicing of archival materials.
(3) Establish and maintain an adequate repository for the
proper storage, conservation, processing, and servicing of archival records.
(4) Promulgate rules governing public access to and use of
records archives, subject to the approval of the Records Advisory Board.
(5) Develop a confidentiality policy for archival records
designated confidential, providing such policy does not conflict with any
federal or state statutes.
(6) Provide information services to other Town of Deerpark
offices.
(7) Collect archival materials which are not official Town
of Deerpark records but which have associational value to the Town of Deerpark
or a close relationship to the existing archival collection. Such collecting
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) Develop a procedure whereby historically important records
are to be identified at the point of generation.
There shall be a Records Advisory Board designated to work closely with
and provide advice to the Records Management Officer. The Board shall consist
of three members appointed by the Town Board. The Board shall meet periodically
and have the following duties:
A. Provide advice to the Records Management Officer on the
development of the records management program.
B. Review the performance of the program on an ongoing basis
and propose changes and improvements.
C. Review retention periods proposed by the Records Management
Office for records not covered by State Archives' schedules.
D. Provide advice on the appraisal of records for archival
value and to be the final sign-off entity as to what is or is not archival.
The Legal Department may take steps to recover Town of Deerpark records
which have been alienated from the proper custody, and may, when necessary,
institute actions of replevin.
No records shall be destroyed or otherwise disposed of by a department
of the Town of Deerpark unless approval has been obtained from the Records
Management Officer. No records shall be destroyed or otherwise disposed of
by the Records Management Officer without the express written consent of the
department head having authority.
As used in this article, 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
their continued preservation by the Town of Deerpark.
RECORDS
Any documents, books, papers, photographs, sound recordings, microforms,
or any other materials, regardless of physical form or characteristics, made
or received pursuant to law or ordinance or in connection with the transaction
of official Town of Deerpark business.
RECORDS CENTER
An establishment maintained by the Town of Deerpark primarily for
the storage, servicing, security and processing of records which must be preserved
for varying periods of time and need not be retained in office equipment or
space.
RECORDS DISPOSITION
A.
The removal by the Town of Deerpark, in accordance with approved records
control schedules, of records no longer necessary for the conduct of business
by such agency through removal methods which may include:
(1)
The disposal of temporary records by destruction or donation; or
(2)
The transfer of records to the Record Center/Archives for temporary
storage of inactive records and permanent storage of records determined to
have historical or other sufficient value warranting continued preservation;
and
B.
The transfer of records from one Town of Deerpark agency to any other
Town of Deerpark agency.
RECORDS MANAGEMENT
The planning, controlling, directing, organizing, training, promotion
and other managerial use and records disposition, including records preservation,
records disposal and records centers or other storage facilities.
SERVICING
Making information in records available to any Town of Deerpark agency
for official use or to the public.