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 the Advisory Committee to have sufficient historical or other value to
warrant their continued preservation by the Town of Warwick.
RECORDS
Any documents, books, papers, photographs, sound recordings, microfilms
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 Warwick business.
RECORDS CENTER
An area maintained by the Town of Warwick primarily for the storage,
servicing, security and processing of records which must be preserved for
varying periods of time and need to be retained in office equipment or space.
RECORDS DISPOSITION
A.
The removal by the Town of Warwick, 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.
B.
The transfer of records from one Town of Warwick department to another
Town of Warwick department.
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 Warwick department
for official use or to the public.
There shall be a records management program established under the aegis
of the Town Board of the Town of Warwick and headed by the Records Management
Officer (RMO). The Officer will be responsible for administering the noncurrent
and archival public records and storage areas for the Town of Warwick 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 Warwick.
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;
(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 office of the Town of Warwick in accordance
with local, state and federal laws and guidelines.
C. The Officer shall report annually to the Supervisor and
the Town Board 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 records for all
Town of Warwick departments and offices, which records will be maintained
and disposed of according to all pertinent state schedules. The Records Management
Center will also contain a Town of Warwick Archives which will contain records
required to be permanently retained according to said schedules.
E. The Officer shall perform the following functions with
respect to the Town of Warwick Archives. He shall:
(1) Advise and assist Town of Warwick departments or offices
in reviewing and selecting material to be transferred to the Town of Warwick
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 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 Warwick
offices.
(7) Collect archival materials which are not official Town
of Warwick records but which have associational value to the Town of Warwick
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 five members, two shall be members of the Town Board, the Records Management
Officer/Town Clerk, the Town Attorney and the Town Historian. The Board shall
serve at the pleasure of the Town Board and shall meet periodically and have
the following duties. The Board shall:
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 Town Attorney 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 Warwick 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.