Records Retention and Disposition Schedule MU-1, issued pursuant to
Article 57-A of the Arts and Cultural Affairs Law and containing legal minimum
retention periods for municipal government records, is hereby adopted for
use by all municipal government records listed therein.
In accordance with Article 57-A:
A. Only those records will be disposed of that are described in
Records Retention and Disposition Schedule MU-1 after they have met the minimum
retention period prescribed therein.
B. Only those records will be disposed of that do not have sufficient
administrative, fiscal, legal or historical value to merit retention beyond
established time periods.
[Adopted 3-4-1998 by L.L. No. 1-1998]
There shall be a records management program established under the aegis
of the Town Board of the Town of Rosendale 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 Rosendale 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 Rosendale.
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;
or
(2) Information containing administrative, legal, fiscal, research,
historical or educational value which warrants 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 Rosendale 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 Rosendale departments and agencies.
E. The officer shall establish a Town of Rosendale archives and
perform the following functions:
(1) Advise and assist the Town of Rosendale departments in reviewing
and selecting material to be transferred to the Town of Rosendale 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," providing such policy does not conflict with any federal or
state statutes.
(6) Provide information services to other Town of Rosendale offices.
(7) Collect archival materials which are not official Town of Rosendale
records but which have associational value to the Town of Rosendale 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 the Town Clerk, Deputy Town Clerk and Town Historian. The Supervisor will
be liaison to said Board. 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.
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 Rosendale 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 Rosendale business.
RECORDS CENTER
An establishment maintained by the Town of Rosendale 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 Rosendale, 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 records center/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 Town of Rosendale agency to any other
Town of Rosendale 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 Rosendale
agency for official use or to the public.