[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Victor 10-1-1990 by L.L. No. 3-1990. Amendments noted where applicable.]
Records are essential to the administration of local government. They contain the information that keeps government programs functioning. It is the intent of this chapter that a records management program be established which will assist officials in making decisions, administering programs and providing administrative continuity with past operations. The program would be intended to document the delivery of services, show the legal responsibilities of government and protect the legal rights of citizens. It will contain information on taxation and on the management and expenditure of funds. These records will also document the historical development of government itself, the community and the people of the Village.
A. 
There shall be a records management program established under the aegis of the Village Clerk and headed by the Records Management Officer. The Village Clerk is designated as the Records Management Officer (RMO) and will be responsible for administering the current and archival public records in storage areas for the Village in accordance with local, state and federal laws and guidelines. The RMO may appoint a designee to carry out the specific duties listed in § 29-4 if he/she so chooses.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
ARCHIVES
A place where official records, which have been determined by the Officer and Advisory Committee to have sufficient historical or other value are preserved.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
RECORDS
Official files, minutes and documents, books, papers, photographs, sound recordings, emails, microforms or any other materials, regardless of physical form or characteristics, made or received pursuant to law or in conjunction with the transaction of official Village business.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
RECORDS CENTER
An establishment maintained by the Records Management Officer for the storage, servicing, security and processing of records which must be preserved for varying periods of time.
RECORDS DISPOSITION
The removal by the Village, in accordance with approved records control schedules, of the records no longer necessary for the conduct of business by such agency through removal methods, which may include the disposition of temporary records by destruction or donation or the transfer of records to a central storage facility for temporary or permanent storage of records determined to have historical or other sufficient value warranting continued preservation or the transfer of records from one Village agency to another Village 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 the records center or other storage facilities.
SERVICING
Making information in records held by the Village available to any agency for official use or to the public.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
A. 
The Records Management Officer shall have all the necessary powers to carry out the efficient administration, determination of value, use, preservation, storage and disposition of the public records kept, filed or received by the officers and departments of the Village.
B. 
The Records Management Officer shall continually survey and examine public records to recommend their classification so as 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 Retention and Disposition Schedule are subject to disposition.
(2) 
Archival retention: information containing administrative, legal, fiscal, research, historical or educational value which warrants their permanent retention.
(3) 
Inactive retention: records not subject to long-term retention according to state law.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
C. 
The Records Management Officer shall establish guidelines for proper records management in any department of the Village government in accordance with local, state and federal laws and guidelines.
D. 
The Records Management Officer shall report annually to the governing body on the powers and duties herein mentioned, including but not limited to the development and progress of programs to date and planned activities for subsequent years.
E. 
The Records Management Officer shall operate a central records management storage facility for storage, processing and servicing of all Village records for all Village departments and agencies.
F. 
Additional requirements of the Records Management Officer include but are not limited to:
(1) 
The development of a comprehensive records management program.
(2) 
The conduct of an initial survey and analysis of all records, to be followed up annually with a report of records stored.
(3) 
The encouragement and coordination of the continuous legal destruction of obsolete records through the adoption and use of the state archive Record Retention and Disposition Schedules.
(4) 
The development of suitable retention periods for records not covered by the 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 Village Board of any proposed change before the retention period takes effect.)
(5) 
The assistance to each department for the establishment of a records management system to support the overall Village records management program. He/she shall encourage the continued efficient management of records within respective departments.
(6) 
The setting up and overseeing of a center for the storage of inactive records.
(7) 
The maintenance of archival materials which are not official Village 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) 
The coordinating and carrying out or participating in the planning for development of advanced records management systems and equipment.
(9) 
The preparation of special and annual reports for the Board of Trustees on records management program progress, cost savings and cost avoidance problems and additional issues.
[Amended 10-20-2003 by L.L. No. 2-2003]
A. 
There shall be a Records Advisory Committee designated to work closely with and provide advice to the Records Management Officer. The Committee shall consist of five members.
B. 
The Committee shall meet periodically and have the following duties:
(1) 
To provide advice to the Records Management Officer on the development of the records management program.
(2) 
To review the performance of the program on an ongoing basis and propose changes and improvements.
(3) 
To review any changes in retention periods proposed by the Records Management Officer for records not covered by the state archive schedules.
(4) 
To 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. 
Active records. The originating department has full custody (legal and physical) over records still in active use.
[Amended 10-20-2003 by L.L. No. 2-2003]
B. 
Inactive records. The originating department is the legal custodian of its records and shall retain the power to retrieve and use records deposited in inactive storage in the records center. The RMO will have physical custody of inactive records and will determine the method and design of storage.
C. 
Archival records. Records transferred to or acquired by the Archives shall be under the full custody (legal and physical) of the archives, as directed by the RMO, rather than the department which created or held them immediately prior to being transferred to the archives.
D. 
Records shall be transferred to the archives upon the recommendation of the RMO, with the approval of the head of the department which had custody of the records and the approval of the Records Advisory Board.
E. 
Records may be removed (temporarily or permanently) 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 those records to the archives, subject to the approval of the Records Advisory Board.
No records shall be destroyed or otherwise disposed of by a department of the Village until it has met the time limit on the state Records Retention and Disposition Schedule or unless approved by 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.
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. ("Replevin" is the recovery by a person of goods claimed to be his, on his promise to test the matter in court and give the goods up again if defeated.)
To comply with Article 6 of the Public Officers Law, the following format will be followed:
A. 
All requests for information shall be in writing, reasonably describing the record requested and made during regular business hours of the Village of Victor offices.
B. 
Within five business days of the receipt of the written request, the following will occur:
(1) 
The record will be made available to the person requesting it.
(2) 
The request will be denied in writing.
(3) 
A written acknowledgment of the receipt of the request and a statement of the approximate date when such request shall be granted or denied will be forwarded.
C. 
Any person denied access to a record may appeal, within 30 days, in writing, such denial to the Village Board.
D. 
The Village Board is hereby designated as the appeal agency for determination of denials.
E. 
The Village Board shall, within 10 business days of the receipt of an appeal, fully explain in writing to the person requesting the record, the reason for further denial or the Village Board shall provide access to the record sought.
F. 
The Village Board shall forward to the Committee on Open Government a copy of such appeal when received by the agency and shall also forward to said Committee the ensuing determination thereon.
G. 
A set fee will be charged per photocopy of a record. Such charges will be established by resolution of the Village Board.