[Adopted 11-6-1995]
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 Town of Catskill business.
An establishment maintained by the Town of Catskill 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 Town of Catskill, in accordance with an approved
records control schedule, of records no longer necessary for the conduct of
business by such agency through removal methods which may include:
The transfer of records from one Town of Catskill agency to any other
Town of Catskill 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 Town of Catskill agency
for official use or to the public.
There shall be a records management program established under the aegis
of the Town of Catskill and headed by the Town Clerk as records management
officer (RMO). The officer will be responsible for administering the noncurrent
and archival public records and storage areas for the Town of Catskill 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 Catskill.
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, storage and servicing
of archival material, such as:
(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 their permanent retention;
or
(3)
Records not subject to disposition according to state
law.
B.
The officer shall establish guidelines for proper management
in any department or agency of the Town of Catskill 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 Catskill departments and agencies.
E.
The officer shall establish a Town of Catskill archives
and perform the following functions:
(1)
Advise and assist the Town of Catskill departments in
reviewing and selecting material to be transferred to the Town of Catskill
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 records.
(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 Town of Catskill
offices.
(7)
Collect archival materials which are not official Town
of Catskill records but which have associational value to the Town of Catskill
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 Catskill Town Board and the Town of Catskill department heads. 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
officer for records not covered by state archives' schedules.
D.
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.
A.
A Town of Catskill 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 to 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 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 Catskill 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.
