[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the Town of North Salem 6-20-1995
by L.L. No. 3-1995. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Public access to records — See Ch. 175.
Records are essential to the administration of local government. They
contain the information that keeps government programs functioning. It is
our intent 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
delivery of services, show the legal responsibilities of government and protect
the legal right of citizens. It will contain information on taxation and on
the management and expenditure of funds. These records will also document
the historical document of government itself, the community and the people
of the Town of North Salem.
The Town Clerk is designated as the records management officer and will
be responsible for administering the current and archived public records in
storage areas for the Town of North Salem in accordance with local, state
and federal laws and guidelines.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings
indicated:
Those official records which have been determined by the officer
and the Advisory Committee to have sufficient historical or other value to
warrant the continued preservation by the Town.
Official files, minutes and 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 conjunction with the transaction of official Town business.
An establishment maintained by the department or records management
officer 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 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 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
and the transfer of records from one Town agency to another Town agency.
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.
Making information in records available to any agency for official
use or to the public.
A.
The records management officer shall have all the necessary
powers deemed appropriate 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 Town of North
Salem.
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 the maintaining, storing and servicing
of the following:
(1)
Obsolete and unnecessary records according to the New
York State retention and disposition schedules, thereby subject to disposition.
(2)
Information containing administrative, legal, fiscal,
research, historical or educational value which warrants their permanent retention.
(3)
Records not subject to disposition according to state
law.
C.
The records management officer shall establish guidelines
for proper records management in any department of the Town government in
accordance with local, state and federal laws and guidelines.
D.
The records management officer shall report annually
to the Town Board 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 Town records for all Town 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)
An annual 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 distribution schedules.
(4)
The development of suitable retention periods for records
not covered by the state records retention and disposition schedules.
(5)
The assistance to each department for the establishment
of a records management system to support the overall Town records management
program.
(6)
The setting up and overseeing of a center for the storage
of inactive records.
(7)
The coordinating and carrying out or participating in
the planning for development of advanced records management systems and equipment.
(8)
The preparation of special and annual reports for the
Town Board on records management program progress, cost, savings and cost
avoidance problems and additional issues.
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 Town Supervisor, the Town Attorney, a member of the Town Board selected
by the Supervisor and the Town Historian. 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 the state archive schedules.
D.
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.
The records management officer shall maintain physical custody and the
official responsibility for all records. Department heads shall retain constructive
control and authority over all department records.
No records shall be destroyed or otherwise disposed of by a department
of the Town of North Salem 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.
This chapter shall be effective immediately upon filing with the Secretary
of State.
