[HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of the City of Dover
as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 11-13-2013 by Ord. No. 2013.10.09-013 as Ch. 45 of the 2013 Code]
Copies of the City Charter and bylaws, rules, regulations and
procedures of the Council and all departments, boards, commissions,
authorities, committees or other agencies of the City of Dover shall
be on file in the office of the City Clerk as public records for inspection
by the public.
Copies of any of the above documents shall be available to the
public, and the City Clerk may charge a nominal cost to help defray
the printing costs. There shall be no charge for agencies of the City
government.
[Adopted 11-13-2013 by Ord. No. 2013.10.09-013 as Ch. 127 of the 2013
Code]
[Amended 2-12-2020 by Ord. No. 2020.01.08-001]
A.
Membership. The membership of the Municipal Records Committee shall
consist of the City Manager or his/her designee together with the
Clerk, Treasurer, Assessor or his/her designee and Tax Collector of
the City pursuant to RSA 33-A:3. The Committee shall govern the disposition
of records pursuant to the rules promulgated by the Municipal Records
Committee and the disposition and retention schedule established by
RSA 33-A:3-a.
B.
Terms. All ex officio members of the Municipal Records Committee
shall serve as members of the Committee as long as they hold their
appointed offices in City government.
As used in this article, the following terms mean:
Shall be in accordance with guidelines and procedures developed
by the Municipal Records Committee to assure that records of continuing
value are not inadvertently removed or destroyed. Records designated
as confidential by the office or department responsible for their
custody shall be disposed under the supervision of the City Clerk
in a manner that ensures the information they contain cannot be recaptured
or reconstructed.
[Amended 2-12-2020 by Ord. No. 2020.01.08-001]
Any accurate, unaltered, unabridged copy of a record or series
or records which is not original.
Those extra copies of materials preserved only for convenience
or reference, as well as redundant copies of official publications
of the City.
Both the retained record copy and the copy maintained for
use of the recipient or other authorized persons, or any other records
designated by the Municipal Records Committee as original.
Those records that by state statute and administrative rules,
the Code of Federal Regulations, or when so designated by the Municipal
Records Committee, the custody of which "shall remain with the Municipality
forever."
[Amended 2-12-2020 by Ord. No. 2020.01.08-001]
Form to be used to process requests in accordance with RSA
91-A right-to-know requirements.
All documents, papers, letters, warrants, deeds, reports,
minutes of meetings, maps, charts, blueprints, photographs, films
and microfilms, software used to process information as well as the
information stored electronically which may be created by or provided
to the City of Dover, its officers and employees acting in their official
capacities. The term shall also include books, reports, and pamphlets
produced by the City, newspaper notices of official actions by the
City or its officers, and audio and video recordings made or received
pursuant to law or ordinance or in connection with the transaction
of official business of the City of Dover.
The Citywide schedule indicating:
How long records are to be retained in the department responsible
for their creation or use; and
How long they must be retained to satisfy requirements mandated
by RSA 33-A:3-a or the Code of Federal Regulations, or longer periods
mandated by the Municipal Records Committee, before disposal or destruction.
Those records that, by state statute and administrative rules
or the Code of Federal Regulations, need only be retained for a stated
period. The Municipal Records Committee may determine that such records
are to be maintained by the City for a period longer than the minimum
required period, such determination to be made a matter of record
by the Committee and incorporated in the City-wide records retention
schedule.
A.
In keeping with state statute, the Municipal Records Committee is
charged with carrying out the rules established by the New Hampshire
Municipal Records Board (RSA 33-A:3). The Municipal Records Committee
shall:
(1)
Establish standards, procedures, and techniques for the effective
management of the records of the City;
(2)
Make continuing surveys of current practices for the management of
records and recommend improvements in those practices, including the
use of space, equipment, and supplies to create, maintain, and store
records;
(3)
Establish standards for the preparation of schedules providing for
the retention of records of continuing value and for the prompt and
orderly disposition of records which are no longer required to be
maintained by state or federal regulations and no longer possess sufficient
administrative, legal, fiscal or historical value to the City to warrant
further retention;
(4)
Analyze records management procedures for efficiency, accuracy, and
cost effectiveness;
(5)
Establish, maintain, and operate a center(s) for receiving, storing,
and retrieving, upon request, records of the City's departments pending
their disposition in a manner prescribed by law and the disposal and
destruction policies developed by the Municipal Records Committee;
(6)
Develop policies and procedures governing retrieval and access to
records in keeping with RSA 91-A, federal and state law, and City
ordinances, always providing that such policies and procedures respect
the confidential nature of some records;
(7)
Provide appropriate storage facilities and services to ensure the
long-term preservation needs of the City's permanent records;
(8)
Establish a program for the efficient management of forms and files;
(9)
Accept gifts of money and/or property in the name of the City of
Dover, subject to approval of the City Council, such gifts to be managed
and controlled by the Municipal Records Committee; and
(10)
Hire consultants or contractors as needed.
B.
In carrying out these duties, the Municipal Records Committee shall:
(1)
Approve all records retention and disposition schedules;
(2)
Review any request for information that was denied by the City Clerk
to determine whether the denial was in keeping with prevailing law
and policies;
[Amended 2-12-2020 by Ord. No. 2020.01.08-001]
(3)
Make recommendations to the City Manager for the implementation of
these policies;
(4)
Render a report annually to the City Council regarding the development
and status of the City's Records Management Program; and
(5)
Turn over records in accordance with the records disposition schedule
to the Trustees of the Woodman Institute. The Trustees shall keep
only those records they determined to have historical significance.
[Amended 2-12-2020 by Ord. No. 2020.01.08-001]
The City Clerk is charged with the day-to-day administration
of the City's Records Management Program and carrying out the policies
developed by the Municipal Records Committee, including but not limited
to the following:
A.
Regularly report to the Committee and recommend for its consideration
and approval standards, procedures, and techniques for the effective
management of records and shall be responsible for maintaining and
operating centers for storing and receiving records from City departments,
pending their disposition or disposal;
B.
Supervise and be responsible for all data entry in the City's records
management system. The records shall be periodically backed up according
to the information technology procedures;
C.
Implement a program for the preservation and conservation of those
records designated by statute or determination of the Municipal Records
Committee as permanent or possessing historical value; and
D.
Supervise the destruction or disposal of scheduled records and will
attest that such destruction/disposal was carried out in the manner
required by the Municipal Records Committee.
The officer in charge of any City department, agency, board
or commission shall:
A.
Make and preserve public records containing proper documentation
of the department's or agency's organization, functions, policies
and procedures;
B.
Establish and maintain effective controls over the creation, maintenance,
and use of records and guard against the loss or unauthorized or unlawful
removal of City records while such records are in their care;
C.
Utilize the public record request form to process requests in accordance
with RSA 91-A right-to-know requirements;
D.
Apply provisions of the approved records retention schedule to execute
the orderly disposition of records, including the transfer to the
City records center(s) of noncurrent or inactive records; and
E.
Appoint a department member who shall act as liaison between the
department or agency and the City Clerk on all matters relating to
the records of the department or agency and its recordkeeping practices.
[Amended 2-12-2020 by Ord. No. 2020.01.08-001]
