|
Why
manage records?
- To
prevent loss of information.
- To
provide logical storage so information
can be retrieved.
- To
establish an authorized destruction
process for information that
is no longer necessary.
- To
reduce congestion in the office
and files.
Are
there minimum mandatory requirements
for a records management system?
Yes.
The
minimum
mandatory
requirement
is
to
keep
clear,
accurate,
and
up-to-date
records
and
background
documentation
in
an
organized
fashion.
This
requires:
- A
system for organizing and filing
the records.
- A
clear understanding of who is
responsible for maintaining the
records.
- A
system for disposing or storing
the records.
Where
can I find procedures or information
on developing a records management
system?
In
addition
to
the
information
provided
here,
detailed
information
on
records
management
is
available
in
the
Department
of
Community
and
Economic
Development's
(Commerce)
Local
Government
Handbook,
Chapter
2,
Section
1, Administrative
Procedures,
the
Model
Financial
Record
Keeping
System,
Appendix
A;
and
the
Alaska
Association
of Municipal
Clerks
Handbook.
Also,
the
State
of
Alaska,
Division
of
Libraries,
Archives
and
Records
Management
Service
publishes
a Local
Government
General
Records
Retention
Schedule.
Do
all records have to be available
for public review?
Under
state
law
(AS
29.20.380 and
AS
40.25.110
(See
Current
Alaska
Statutes)),
every
municipality
is
required
to
keep
certain
records
and
make
them
available
to
the
public.
Failure
to
do
this
is
a breach
of
the
public
trust.
There
are
only
a few
exceptions
to
this
requirement,
such
as
certain
personnel
records,
or
work
papers
regarding
contract
negotiations.
The
public
records
statutes
found
in
Title
40 (See
AS
40.25.120
- .151
in
Current
Alaska
Statutes)
provides
information
on
records
that
are
not
subject
to
the
public
review
requirement
and
confidential
records.
If
the
request
for
information
requires
lengthy
research
or
copying,
provide
a form
and
notify
the
person
requesting
the
information
that
there
may
be
a delay
in
providing
the
information
and
a fee
charged
for
research
and
copying.
These
fees
should
be
spelled
out
in
ordinance
or
resolution.
Who
is responsible for ensuring records
are kept as required?
The
ultimate
responsibility
lies
with
the
governing
body
to
ensure
the
administration
and
staff
perform
their
required
duties.
In
communities
with
the
manager
form
of
government,
the
manager
has
custody
of
municipal
property
and
is
responsible
for
ensuring
its
safety
(AS
29.20.500(4)(5)).
This
doesn't
necessarily
mean
that
the
manager
is
responsible
for
doing
the
actual
filing,
etc.,
but
it
does
mean
the
manager
is
responsible
for
ensuring
it
is
done
in
an
organized
manner.
In
most
small
communities
this
responsibility
is
given
to
the
clerk.
Records
management
duties
of
the
municipal
clerk
under state
law also
include:
- Assure
that public records are available
for public inspection as required
by law (AS
29.20.380(3));
- Manage
all municipal records and develop
retention schedules and procedures
for inventory, storage, and destruction
of records as necessary (AS
29.20.380 (4)));
- Maintain
an indexed file of all permanent
municipal records, provide for
codification of ordinances (AS
29.20.380(5));
and
- Authenticate
or certify records as necessary
(AS
29.20.380(5).)
What
types of records need to be included
in a record management system?
Records
come
in
many
forms.
They
include
paper
documents
and
other
information,
pictures,
maps,
computer
files,
or
cassettes.
The
State
of
Alaska, Local
Government
General
Records
Retention
Schedule provides
a
comprehensive
list
of
possible
record
categories.
Following
is
a
list
of
general
categories
of
records
that
need
to
be
accounted
for:
- Financial
- Legal
- Managerial
- Operational
- Historical
What
kind of records should be kept
either permanently or for an
extended period?
Following
is
a
very
brief
list
of
the
most
common
records
that
need
to
be
kept.
The
State
of
Alaska Local
Government
Records
Retention
Schedule provides
a
much
more
comprehensive
list.
This
schedule
describes
common
file
sets
that
Alaskan
local
governments
(including
cities/boroughs,
villages,
districts,
authorities,
other
political
subdivisions)
administer
and
provides
information
on
how
long
a
record
has
to
be
kept.
The
general
retention
schedule
is
meant
to
be
a
guide.
Each
governing
body
should
inventory
its
records
and
develop
its
own
schedule
tailored
to
its
own
needs.
Generally,
the
records
that
must
be
kept
are
source
documents
and
reports
created
from
source
documents.
These
would
include:
- Cancelled
checks
- Bank
statements
- Check
registers
- General
ledgers
- General
journals
- Paid
invoices
- Bank
accounts and their numbers
- Financial
reports to the governing body
- Budgets
and budget ordinances
- Any
budget revisions
- Grant
agreements and related documentation
- Audit
reports
- Personnel
records
- 'Legal' documents
- Documents
regarding asset ownership
- Land
use records and land title documents
How
do I know how long to keep certain
records?
How
long
you
must
keep
certain
records
varies
depending
on
the
type
of
document
or
record.
Some
only
have
to
be
kept
for
a
couple
of
years
and
some
have
to
be
kept
for
a
very
long
time.
As
an
example,
an
employee's
W-2
has
to
be
kept
for
4
years
by
the
employer
and
must
be
made
available
to
the
employee
upon
request
during
that
4-year
period.
An
employee's
pay
record
has
to
be
kept
for
50
years
and
must
be
available
upon
request
during
that
50-year
period
to
verify
work
history.
The
Alaska Local
Government
General
Records
Retention
Schedule lists
the
types
of
records
and
how
long
they
have
to
be
kept.
State
law
(AS
29.20.380
(a)(4))
requires
that
the
municipal
clerk
manage
municipal
records
and
develop
retention
schedules
and
procedures
for
inventory,
storage,
and
destruction
of
records
as
necessary.
An
advantage
of
having
a
retention
schedule
is
that
documents
that
are
no
longer
needed
can
be
thrown
away
and/or
archived
to
make
room
for
active
files.
How
do we deal with computer files?
Use
the
same
categories
and
archiving
rules
as
you
would
use
for
paper
records.
When
it
is
time
to
archive
the
computer
files
you
can
copy
them
to
any
media
(discs,
tapes,
zip
discs,
etc.)
that
allows
for
easy
recovery
of
the
information.
Once
the
copies
are
made
and
verified
the
original
files
can
be
deleted
from
your
computer.
|
