§ 2-721. Duties of records management officer.

Under this division, the records management officer shall have the following duties and others as assigned by the city council and as provided by state law:

(1)

Assist in establishing and developing policies and procedures for a records management program for the city, which program shall include basic files management and records disposition policies, systems, standards and procedures;

(2)

Administer the records management program and provide assistance to custodians for the purposes of reducing the costs and improving the efficiency of recordkeeping;

(3)

In cooperation with the custodians of the records:

a.

Prepare and file with the director and librarian before January 4, 1999, the records control schedules and the list of obsolete records required by the Local Government Records Act;

b.

Prepare and file with the director and librarian amended schedules as needed to reflect new records created or received by the city; and

c.

Prepare or direct the preparation of requests for authorization to destroy records not on an approved control schedule as provided by the public records act, of requests to destroy the originals of permanent records that have been microfilmed and of electronic storage authorization requests;

(4)

In cooperation with custodians, identify and take adequate steps to preserve city records that are of permanent value;

(5)

In cooperation with custodians, identify and take adequate steps to protect essential city records;

(6)

In cooperation with custodians, ensure that the maintenance, preservation, microfilming and destruction of records is carried out in accordance with the policies and procedures of the city's records management program and requirements of state law;

(7)

Provide records management advice and assistance to all city offices and departments by preparation of manuals of procedure and policies and by on-site consultation;

(8)

Carry out destruction and transfers that are required by records schedules and carry out microphotography tasks when staff and a central facility becomes available;

(9)

Design and manage the operations of a records center for the low-cost storage of inactive records;

(10)

Develop a citywide forms design and control system;

(11)

Establish, in cooperation with other responsible city officials, a disaster plan for each city office and department to ensure maximum availability of records for reestablishing operations quickly and with minimum disruption and expense;

(12)

Bring to the attention of the city manager any office not in compliance with laws or ordinances regarding public access to information or protection of privacy;

(13)

Disseminate to the city council and custodians information concerning state laws, administrative rules and the policies of the city relating to local government records through a records manual, which may be amended from time to time, and other means of communication; and

(14)

In cooperation with custodians, establish procedures to ensure that the handling of records in any context of the records management program by the records management officer or those under the officer's authority is carried out with due regard for the duties and responsibilities of custodians that may be imposed by law and the confidentiality of information in records to which access is restricted by law.

(Code 1967, § 2-8(f); Ord. No. 3702, § 1, 10-6-83; Ord. No. 5540, § 1, 5-24-90)

State law reference

Similar provisions, V.T.C.A., Local Government Code § 203.023.