[Adopted 10-28-1974 (Ch. 160, Art. I, of the 1994 Code); amended in its entirety 10-15-2018 by L.L. No. 3-2018]
Records shall be available for public inspection and copying
at the Mendon Town Hall, 16 West Main Street, Honeoye Falls, NY 14472.
Requests for public access to records shall be accepted and
records produced during all hours regularly open for business. These
hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday; and 8:00
a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Friday.
A notice containing the title or name and business address of
the records access officers and appeals body and the location where
records can be seen or copies shall be posted in a conspicuous location
wherever records are kept and/or published in a local newspaper of
general circulation.
[Adopted 1-9-1989 by L.L. No. 1-1989 (Ch. 160, Art. II,
of the 1994 Code)]
There shall be a Records Management Program established under
the aegis of the Town Board and headed by a Records Management Officer
(RMO). The Officer will be responsible for administering the noncurrent
and archival public records and storage areas for the Town of Mendon
in accordance with local, state and federal laws and guidelines.
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 Mendon.
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
and Disposition Schedules thereby subject to disposition;
(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. The Officer shall establish guidelines for proper records management
in any department or agency of the Town of Mendon in accordance with
local, state and federal laws and guidelines.
C. The Officer shall 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 Mendon departments and agencies.
E. The Officer shall establish a Town of Mendon Archives and perform
the following functions:
(1) Advise and assist the Town of Mendon departments in reviewing and
selecting material to be transferred to the Town of Mendon Archives
for preservation.
(2) Continually survey and examine public records to determine the most
suitable methods to be used for 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 in
the archives, subject to the approval of the Records Advisory Board.
(5) Develop a confidentiality policy for archival records designated
confidential, provided that such policy does not conflict with any
federal or state statutes.
(6) Provide information services to other Town of Mendon offices.
(7) Collect archival materials which are not official Town of Mendon
records but which have associational value to the Town of Mendon 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.
The Legal Department may take steps to recover local government
records which have been alienated from 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 Mendon 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 local government.
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 Mendon business.
RECORDS CENTER
An establishment maintained by the Town of Mendon 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 Mendon, in accordance with approved
records control schedules, of records no longer necessary for the
conduct of business by such agency through removal 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.
B.
The transfer of records from one Town of Mendon agency to any
other Town of Mendon 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 Mendon
agency for official use or to the public.