[Adopted 9-9-1991 by resolution]
The Town Clerk is designated as Records Management Officer and shall be responsible for the records management program established by this article and subsequent amendments thereto. Said officer will be responsible for administering the noncurrent and archival public records for the Town of West Seneca in accordance with local, state and federal laws and guidelines. Said officer shall also be responsible for overseeing microfilming of town records according to recognized standards and specifications.
A. 
The Town Clerk or designee of the Town Clerk 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 West Seneca.
B. 
The Town Clerk or designee of the Town Clerk shall establish guidelines for proper records management in any department or agency of town government in accordance with local, state and federal laws and guidelines.
C. 
The Town Clerk or designee of the Town Clerk shall report annually to the Town Board on the powers and duties herein mentioned, including, but not limited to, the cost/benefit ratio of programs implemented by the Town Clerk or the designee.
[Amended 7-29-2024 by L.L. No. 4-2024]
The Town Clerk shall have at his/her disposal a storage room at a location determined by the Town Board dedicated specifically for the storage, processing and servicing of all noncurrent and archival records for all town departments and agencies. The storage room shall be called the "West Seneca Records Center." The Town Clerk or designee shall operate the West Seneca Records Center.
The Town Clerk or designee of Town Clerk shall be the sole official designated in the Public Officer's Certification for Using Records Retention and Disposition Schedules, or its successor, and shall be the sole officer with authority over the disposition of town records, after receiving approval of the respective town officer or department head who has custody of the records of his respective office or department.
A. 
The West Seneca Town Board shall appoint a nine-member Records Advisory Board based on recommendations by the Town Clerk. The Records Advisory Board shall be composed of the Town Clerk, as Records Management Officer; the Town Supervisor, a representative of the West Seneca Town Board, the Town Director of Finance, the Town Attorney, the Town Historian or their designees; a representative of the library located in the Town of West Seneca and two town residents with expertise in the field of archives programs, records management programs or a related field.
[Amended 7-29-2024 by L.L. No. 4-2024]
B. 
The function of this Board shall be to advise and make suggestions to the Town Clerk or his/her designee on improvements to be made to the West Seneca Records Management Program. The Board shall meet at least twice a year and more so, if needed.
C. 
The Town Clerk or his/her designee shall be responsible for calling all meetings of the Records Advisory Board, making progress reports concerning the Records Management Program to the Records Advisory Board, and following up on advice and/or suggestions offered by the Records Advisory Board.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
ARCHIVES
Those official records which have been determined by the Records Management Officer to have sufficient historical or other value to warrant their continued preservation by the town.
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 business.
RECORDS CENTER
An establishment maintained by the Town of West Seneca 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, 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 for temporary storage of archival 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 agency to any other town agency.
RECORDS MANAGEMENT
The planning, controlling, directing, organizing, training, promotion and other managerial activities involved in records creation, records maintenance and use and records disposition, including records preservation, records disposal and records centers or other storage facilities.
SERVICING
Making information in records available to any county agency for official use or to the public.