Title
Adopt a Resolution to:
a. Approve the Records Retention Schedule (“Agency Schedule”) for the Monterey County Water Resources Agency (“Agency”) for the storage and destruction of Agency records as set forth by federal and state laws, and codes and policies of the County of Monterey;
b. Adopt the County of Monterey Records Retention Policy; and,
c. Authorize the General Manager of the Agency or designee to destroy or cause the destruction of Agency records in accordance with the approved Agency Schedule.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Monterey County Water Resources Agency Board of Supervisors:
a. Approve the Records Retention Schedule (“Agency Schedule”) for the Monterey County Water Resources Agency (“Agency”) for the storage and destruction of Agency records as set forth by federal and state laws, and codes and policies of the County of Monterey;
b. Adopt the County of Monterey Records Retention Policy; and,
c. Authorize the General Manager of the Agency or designee to destroy or cause the destruction of Agency records in accordance with the approved Agency Schedule.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
On July 1, 2014, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors adopted a County-wide Records Management Policy. The County policy calls for individual County Departments to prepare records retention schedules for the management (including the preservation and periodic destruction) of records held by County departments. Approval of the actions listed in the attached draft Agency Board of Supervisors Resolution adopts and builds-upon the County policy, and tailors them for use by the Agency.
Adoption of the attached Agency Records Retention Schedule will authorize the preservation of records and the prompt destruction of files once the designated retention period has expired.
The Agency produces both electronic and hard copy documents for Agency business related to administrative services; water resources planning and management; facilities operations and maintenance; and, financial planning and accounting. Adoption of this resolution will result in the timely scanning, shredding and recycling of these materials, resulting in reduced storage costs and improved efficiency in the management of Agency records, as well as simplifying the Public Records Request process.
The set of recommended actions is premised on adoption of the County-wide records policy. Since the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors for the County and the Agency (COTB) is the same, and since the COTB is in the process of adopting a records retention policy, it is recommended that the Agency adopt the same COTB policy for Agency Board of Supervisor records. The proposed Agency Schedule was prepared after consideration of the records retention schedules of various similar water agencies.
The Agency Schedule addresses the retention and destruction of Agency-specific files. Other general records will be retained in accordance with the County-wide Policy. The proposed Agency Schedule outlines retention periods for maintaining Agency documents prior to destruction or transfer to the Records Retention Center, as well as retention periods for documents preserved in electronic format. Some documents will be maintained permanently. The proposed Agency Schedule reflects the provisions of state and federal laws, as well as county codes and policies. Because Government Code Section 26200 et seq. requires that the Board of Supervisors authorize the destruction or disposition of records, approval of the proposed Agency Schedule is recommended.
The Schedule may be re-formatted prior to final presentation to the Board of Supervisors. It is not anticipated that substantive changes will occur during the re-formatting process.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
The County-wide policy has been considered, legally required retention periods consulted, and input has been received from the County Counsel’s Office. The Agency’s Board of Directors approved this item on October 26, 2015.
FINANCING:
There is no anticipated impact to the FY 2015-16 Adopted Budget. Future impacts may be realized in the form of cost savings for document storage and retrieval.
Prepared by: Winifred Chambliss, Administrative Services Assistant, (831) 755-4896
Approved by:
David E. Chardavoyne, General Manager, (831) 755-4860
Attachments:
1. Proposed MCWRA Records Retention (Agency) Schedule
2. Draft Resolution, MCWRA Board of Supervisors
3. County of Monterey County-wide Records Management Policy
4. Executed MCWRA Board Order dated 10/26/15