The Records Management Officer (RMO) shall have all the necessary
powers to carry out the efficient administration and 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 RMO shall continually survey and examine public records to recommend
their classification 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 Records Retention and Disposition Schedule 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.
B.
The RMO shall establish guidelines for proper records management
in any department of the Town government in accordance with local,
state and federal laws and guidelines.
C.
The RMO shall operate a central records management storage facility
for storage, processing and servicing of all Town records for all
Town departments and agencies.
D.
Additional requirements of the RMO include but are not limited to:
(1)
Development of a comprehensive records management program.
(2)
Conduct of an initial survey and analysis of all records, to be followed
up annually with a report of records stored.
(3)
Encouragement and coordination of the continuous legal destruction
of obsolete records through the adoption and use of the State Archive
Records Retention and Disposition Schedules.
(4)
Development of suitable retention periods for records not covered
by the New York 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)
Assistance to each department for the establishment of a records
management system to support the overall Town records management program
and encouragement of the continued efficient management of records
within respective departments.
(6)
Setting up and overseeing a center for the storage of inactive records.
(7)
Maintenance of archival materials which are not official Town records,
but which have historical value to the community or 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)
Coordination of and carrying out or participating in the planning
for development of advanced records management systems and equipment.
(9)
Preparation of special and annual reports for the Town Board on the
records management program's progress, cost savings and cost
avoidance problems and additional issues.
