[Adopted 12-21-1995 by L.L. No. 15-1995]
A.
There is hereby established for the County of Putnam
a records management program, which shall be a continuing administrative
function of the County of Putnam.
B.
It is the responsibility of all government employees
to contribute to the accomplishment of the program objectives and
to cooperate with the records management officer (RMO).
The objectives of the records management program
shall be as follows:
A.
To facilitate the creation of usable records containing
accurate and complete information.
B.
To save tax dollars through efficient administration
of information resources.
C.
To prevent the creation of unnecessary records.
D.
To make recorded information available and readily
accessible when needed, thereby minimizing time spent searching for
files and documents.
E.
To ensure the systematic legal disposition of obsolete
records.
F.
To encourage the lasting survival of records identified
as having sufficient legal, administrative, fiscal or historical value
to warrant their permanent retention as archival records.
As used in this article, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
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.
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 Putnam County business.
An establishment maintained by the County of Putnam 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.
The removal by the County of Putnam, 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:
The disposal of temporary records by destruction
or donation;
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; or
The transfer of records from one Putnam County
agency to any other Putnam County agency.
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.
Making information in records available to any Putnam County
agency for official use or to the public.
There shall be a records management program
established under the aegis of the Putnam County Clerk 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 County of Putnam 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 County of Putnam.
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 warrants its permanent
retention; or
(3)
Records not subject to disposition according to state
law.
B.
The records management officer shall establish guidelines
for proper records management in any department or agency of the County
of Putnam in accordance with local, state and federal laws and guidelines.
C.
The records management officer shall report annually
to the Putnam County Executive and the Putnam County Legislature on
the powers and duties herein mentioned, including but not limited
to the cost/benefit ratio of programs effectuated by the department.
D.
The records management officer shall operate a Records
Management Center for the storage, processing and servicing of all
noncurrent and archival records for all departments and agencies of
the County of Putnam.
E.
The records management officer shall establish a Putnam
County Archives and perform the following functions:
(1)
Advise and assist Putnam County departments in reviewing
and selecting material to be transferred to the Putnam County 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 Putnam County
offices.
(7)
Collect archival material which are not official Putnam
County records but which have associational value to the County of
Putnam 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.
(9)
Cooperate in the records management programs of the
towns and villages in Putnam County.
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 Putnam County Executive, the
Commissioner of Finance, the County Attorney, the County Historian
and the Clerk of the Legislature or their representatives. In addition,
the County Executive and the Legislature may each appoint one member
from the general public who has a demonstrated interest in or knowledge
of records management, historical records or Putnam County history.
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.
A.
A Putnam County department is the legal custodian
of its records and shall retain custody of records deposited in the
Records Center. Records transferred to or acquired by the archives
shall be under the custody and control of the archives rather than
the department which created or held them immediately prior the being
transferred to the archives.
B.
Records shall be transferred to the archives upon
the recommendation of the RMO, with the approval of the head of the
department which has custody of the records and the approval of the
Records Advisory Board.
C.
Records may be permanently removed from the archives
at the request of the RMO or the head of the department which had
custody of the records immediately prior to the transfer of these
records to the archives, subject to the approval of the Records Advisory
Board.
The County 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 County of Putnam 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.
