Title
Clerk of the Board recommending the Board approve revisions to Board of Supervisors Policy A-9 - Records Management Program.
FUNDING: N/A
Body
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
The Board of Supervisors established a Records Management Program on May 9, 1989, with the adoption of Policy A-9 - Records Management Program. The program was to be operated by the County Recorder as a system of “record keeping, records storage, disposal and preservation.” The policy largely addressed the specifics, including size and quantity, of storage cabinets, shelves and storage boxes, but it also called for departments to develop Records Disposition Schedules.
On December 9, 1997 (Resolution 274-97), the Board of Supervisors transferred the Records Management Program to the General Services Department. In October 2007, as part of a reorganization of General Services (Legistar file 07-1598), the Board transferred Records Management to the Information Technologies (IT) Department. Finally, after an interim period in the Chief Administrative Office, Records Management was moved to the Office of the Board of Supervisors in 2022. For decades, the program was exclusively focused on the storage, transfer to and from departments, and destruction of paper records in file boxes, with a small quantity of microfiche and bound records among them.
With funding authorized in the Fiscal Year 2024-25 budget, a digitization program was launched to address various issues including overcrowding in the Records Center, safety against loss from fire or other natural disaster, providing easier access by departments to their own files, increased efficiency in response to Public Records requests, and improved confidentiality of sensitive material.
The unique characteristics of digital media, specifically of the electronic files generated by the scanning of paper records, necessitate an update to the County’s Records Management policy to reflect best practices and legal requirements related to information security. Because this update to Policy A-9 is essentially a wholesale rewrite, the existing policy and proposed update are presented as two separate documents rather than via a redlined version. The proposed revised Policy A-9 was distributed to Department Heads to solicit feedback and has been reviewed by County Counsel.
ALTERNATIVES
The Board could decide not to approve the revised policy, make changes, or direct staff to return to the Board by providing new direction.
PRIOR BOARD ACTION
May 9, 1989 - Adoption of Board Policy A-9 - Records Management Program
Resolution 274-97 - December 9, 1997 - Records Management Program transfer to General Services
Legistar file 07-1598 - October 2, 2007 - Records Management Program transfer to Information Technologies
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT
All County Departments
CAO RECOMMENDATION / COMMENTS
Approve as recommended.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
N/A
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
Distribute revised policy to Department Heads and update website.
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT
N/A
CONTACT
Clay Russell, Records Center Manager