Georgia County Government - December 2008 - (Page 35)

ResearchCorner Implementing a Record Retention Policy M By Michele NeSmith Research and Policy Development Director Not every county has the budget to build a record retention center or has the room to convert existing office space into an additional storage area. However, if a proper retention schedule is implemented, it may help your county to manage its records in the space it currently has allocated without the need to increase your budget. any counties have taken the first step in organizing their records by adopting a resolution or ordinance providing for a record management plan and designating a record retention officer. Other counties are further along in the process and have converted files to archival boxes for storage, developed databases to track all the records within the county’s domain, and have even built record retention centers to house all their records. However, if your county has not yet implemented a record retention policy, your record management plan is not complete. Having a record management program is not just about organization. It should also include a schedule of how long your county should retain certain records. Not only is adopting a schedule a good record keeping practice, but it is also one of the statutory requirements under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-99. This may not seem like an important step, especially if your county has recently made an effort to expand your storage system or has built a record retention center, but without a retention policy in place, storage will once again become an issue. According to the 2006 ACCG Record Management Survey, space was listed as one of the top three needs for county government in regard to record management. Not every county has the budget to build a record retention center or has the room to convert existing office space into an additional storage area. However, if a proper retention schedule is implemented, it may help your county to manage its records in the space it currently has allocated without the need to increase your budget. The first step in creating a record retention policy is to identify the types of records that you have to manage. Once this process has been completed, the next step is easy! Simply access the Local Government Retention Schedule on the Georgia Archives Web site at http://sos.georgia.gov/archives/ who_are_we/rims/retention_schedules/default.htm and utilize this schedule to create your own retention schedule. The local government schedule listed on their site will take the guesswork out of creating a retention schedule because the record retention timeframe for your records has already been determined. You just have to identify the records that you have. The Archives keeps this guide updated to reflect current law and specifically notes changes that impact local governments. Although Georgia Archives maintains the local government retention schedule, which gives the appropriate schedule on numerous types of records, it does not provide a thorough schedule on e-mail. This was purposefully done because the length of time e-mail is retained depends on the content of that e-mail. For example, an e-mail inviting a co-worker to lunch would not be kept for the same duration as an e-mail containing financial or legal information. It is very important that your retention schedule cover both electronic and paper records. Not only will this assist with the management of your records, but it will also ensure that if any challenges are made to the date of destruction of records in your office, you can justify the destruction date by showing that it was done according to your county’s record retention schedule. For more information on how to develop a retention schedule for your county, please visit the Georgia Archives website at http://sos.georgia.gov/archives and check back frequently for tips and advice on other record management issues. ■ DECEMBER 2008 www.accg.org 35 http://sos.georgia.gov/archives/who_are_we/rims/retention_schedules/default.htm http://sos.georgia.gov/archives/who_are_we/rims/retention_schedules/default.htm http://sos.georgia.gov/archives http://www.accg.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Georgia County Government - December 2008

Georgia County Government - December 2008 Contents President's Message County Matters 2009 Legislative Forecast: ACCG's Platform for the Coming Legislative Session ACCG Policy Staff 2008 Legislative Awards Honor Georgia Lawmakers Cell Towers and Local Governments Oglethorpe Power Plans Biomass Electric Facilities Georgia's Grand Old Courthouses: Dawson County Extension News: Biofuels Development Research Corner: Implementing a Record Retention Policy County Parade Index of Advertisers/Advertiser.com

Georgia County Government - December 2008

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