[HISTORY: Adopted by the Common Council of the City of Watertown
by Ord. No. 02-37 (§ 25.12 of the former City Code). Amendments noted where
applicable.]
The purpose of this chapter is to specify retention periods
for certain City records and to allow access to records to the same
extent and in the same manner as allowed by state law.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
The individual responsible for maintaining records pursuant
to § 19.33, Wis. Stats.
Has the meaning defined in § 19.32(2), Wis. Stats.
Has the meaning defined in § 19.32(3), Wis. Stats.
The minimum required period of time that a document will be maintained as described in § 160-4 of this chapter.
City of Watertown legal custodians shall maintain all records for the retention period and for any additional time period as described in § 160-6 below, if applicable. Thereafter, after the State Historical Society has waived receipt of the records (see § 160-5 below), the legal custodian may destroy the records.
A.
The City of Watertown Common Council shall adopt the attached schedule
which describes the minimum time periods for which records shall be
maintained by a legal custodian.
All records not precluded from public records status will be
offered to the State Historical Society (SHS). Once the SHS has either
accepted the documents or allowed destruction, the records may be
disposed of appropriately.
In addition to the retention period described in the Retention
Schedule, records shall be maintained for the following additional
time periods:
A.
A record that is existing at the time of a request shall not be destroyed
until after the request is granted or, in the event the request is
denied, until at least the time period described in § 19.35(5),
Wis. Stats., has passed from the date of the denial.
B.
A record that is existing at the time that the legal custodian receives
written notice that a mandamus action relating to the record has been
commenced pursuant to § 19.37, Wis. Stats., shall not be
destroyed until the final court order is issued in the action and
the appeals are exhausted, as further described in § 19.35(5),
Wis. Stats.
C.
A record that is known by the legal custodian to be relevant to litigation
or audit that is pending at the time that the record would otherwise
be destroyed shall not be destroyed until the litigation or audit
is resolved.
Records may be kept and preserved through the use of microfilm
or another reproductive device, optical imaging, electronic formatting,
or any other reproduction format authorized by § 19.21(4)(c),
Wis. Stats., and said reproduction shall be deemed an original record
for all purposes, in accordance with § 19.21(4)(c), Wis.
Stats.
All records maintained by a legal custodian shall be made available
for inspection, copying or other use that is authorized by state law,
to the same extent as allowed by Wisconsin Statutes, including but
not limited to § 19.35, Wis. Stats., and in the same manner.
A requester shall pay a reasonable fee per page for a photocopy
of a record, unless the requester is specifically excluded from payment
of the fee by state law. The requester also shall pay such other fees
as may be charged pursuant to state law, including but not limited
to § 19.35(3), Wis. Stats.
All state statutes incorporated or referenced herein shall be
deemed to include all subsequent amendments, repeals and renumbering
that may be enacted regarding the same, in order to ensure uniform
statewide regulation of public records.
