[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Altamont as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 9-7-1993 by L.L. No. 4-1993]
There shall be a records management program established under the aegis of the Village Clerk's Department and headed by the Village Clerk as Records Management Officer (RMO). The officer will be responsible for administering the noncurrent and archival public records and storage areas for the Village of Altamont in accordance with local, state and federal laws and guidelines. The Village Clerk shall have the option to appoint a designee to perform this function with the approval of the Mayor.
The officer shall have all 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 Village of Altamont.
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]
(1) 
Disposition. Records deemed obsolete and unnecessary according to the New York State Records Retention and Disposition Schedules are subject to disposition.
(2) 
Archival retention. Records containing information with administrative, legal, fiscal, research, historical or educational value which warrants their permanent retention are subject to archival retention.
(3) 
Active retention. Records not yet subject to disposition according to state law are subject to active retention.
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
B. 
The officer shall report annually to the Mayor and Board of Trustees on the powers and duties herein mentioned, including but not limited to the cost/benefit ratio of programs effectuated by the Department.
C. 
The officer shall establish a Village of Altamont archives and perform the following functions:
(1) 
Advise and assist Village of Altamont departments in reviewing and selecting material to be transferred to the Village of Altamont 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 Village of Altamont offices.
(7) 
Collect archival materials which are not official Village of Altamont records but which have associational value to the Village of Altamont 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.
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 the Mayor or a Trustee as designated by the Mayor, the Village Attorney, the local historian, the Village Clerk, and interested citizens as appointed by the Mayor and approved by the Board of Trustees. All members of the Board shall serve without compensation relative to the records management program. 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. 
Provide advice on the appraisal of records for archival value and be the final sign-off entity as to what is or is not archival.
The Board of Trustees may take steps to recover local government records which have been alienated from proper custody and may, when necessary, institute actions of replevin.
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
No noncurrent or archival records shall be destroyed or otherwise disposed of by a department of the Village of Altamont 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 Board to have sufficient historical or other value to warrant their continued preservation by the local government.[1]
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 Village of Altamont business.
RECORDS CENTER
An establishment maintained by the Village of Altamont 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 Village of Altamont, 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 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 Village of Altamont agency to any other Village of Altamont 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 Village of Altamont agency for official use or to the public.
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).