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Transparency and Open Government: 2019-2023 Strategic Plan for Records and Information Management
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RECOMMENDED ACTION (Motion):
Staff recommends the City Commission adopt the 2019-2023 Strategic Plan for Records and Information Management.
BACKGROUND:
In 2007, the City Commission, with the understanding that government should open and transparent, approved the City's first 5-year strategic plan for records management. The plan was developed to provide a foundational understanding of the value of managing public records and to promote actions that would increase records transparency and create a secure, easily accessible, and efficient system. Several goals and objectives were developed to meet the mission of the City Recorder's Office. Since then the Commission has approved an additional 5-year strategic plan and this will be the City's third plan created. These plans have brought the City from where it was with records management to where it is today.
The Commission is aware of the former condition of the records, such as:
* Records were stored in containers in the parking lot; in attics, drawers, filing cabinets, etc.
* There was no central storage for paper or electronic records
* Storage areas were not climate controlled
* Staff was not trained in retention schedules or records management
* Historical records were at risk
* Staffing levels were inadequate
Implementation of these Strategic Plans have resulted in the use of best practices to sustain our records in the decades to come. Good governance and transparency were increased by the efforts, and today the following functions operate efficiently:
* The agendas/minutes/videos of 13 different public meeting bodies can be found from one page on the City's website.
* "Records Online" was implemented - an online search tool for thousands of City records can be found from the City's website.
* The City contracted with an offsite paper records storage facility to store records in a climate-controlled atmosphere.
* State law and City resolutions and policies were implemented to support the creation, maintenance, storage, and destruction of City records.
* Records liaisons were trained and assigned specific watchdog duties in departments to ensure proper management of records.
* Hundreds of public records requests are filled each year in a timely and efficient manner due to the new procedures implemented.
The Commission has agreed with the importance of this topic and incorporated it in their Commission Goals under Goal #4 - Pursue Opportunities to Increase Transparency and Encourage Citizen Participation. In order to continue developing high-quality and efficient records management, the City Recorder's Office continues to work with information technology staff to develop systems that will support the life cycle of records, from creation of a record to its final disposition.
Below are listed the 5 goals designed to bring the City into the 21st Century in records management. The strategic plan outlines the objectives to reach the goals. Highlights of proposed accomplishments include, 1) Implementation of a policy for protecting vital records; 2) Implementation of a plan to manage text messages as a public record; 3) Conduct a City-wide records inventory; 4) Further training provided to all staff.
Goal #1:
Public records and information are created, identified, appropriately scheduled, and managed according to retention requirements.
Goal #2:
Electronic public records and information, including digital recordings, electronic mail, digital communications, and social media records, are controlled, preserved, and made accessible according to retention requirements.
Goal #3:
Increase transparency of City Government by ensuring that public records and information are easy to access regardless of where they are or where users are for as long as required by records retention regulations.
Goal #4:
All public records are preserved in an appropriate environment.
Goal #5:
Strategically manage, educate, and align staff, technology, and processes to achieve the mission and provide a means to measure the performance.
The City Commission reviewed the strategic plan at its Work Session on November 13, 2018.