Title
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-contr...
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