Agenda - 09-02-2021; 8-e - Resolution Confirming Orange County’s Agreement to Adopt the General Records Retention and Disposition Schedule for Local Government Agencies

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2 approval, Orange County department records were covered under ten different schedules (County Management, County Board of Elections, Local Health Departments, Public Libraries, Public Transportation Systems, County Register of Deeds, County Sheriff, County Social Service Agencies, County Tax Administration, and County Veterans Services). At that time, NCDNCR retention schedules were amended when legal changes necessitated only a few records series be updated, but full schedule updates were postponed until recommended changes reach a critical mass. This approach presented numerous challenges for counties and departments for numerous reasons: • Counties that have a centralized records management program could not effectively create uniform retention policies that apply to all departments. • Employees who perform the same work in multiple agencies had to keep track of multiple retention schedules for their day-to-day records. • Agencies with a large quantity of unique, program-specific records had to wait longer to receive updates for their general office records because their program schedules took longer to update. • Certain county programs like Animal Control and GIS had different retention periods for their records depending on where the county located them administratively. To mitigate these challenges, NCDNCR transitioned the process IN 2019 for updating local records retention schedules to a new model: General Schedules and Program Record Schedules. Under the General Schedule model which was published in 2019, many record types that are common to all government agencies (Administration and Management, Budget, Fiscal, and Payroll, Geographic Information System (GIS), Information Technology, Legal, Personnel, Public Relations, and Risk Management records) were consolidated into one schedule, and will be updated on an annual basis going forward. Program Record Schedules, which include those records that are unique to County departments and services, will be developed over the next several years and updated on a rotating schedule. NCDNCR requires that the General Schedule be approved by the governing board in a regular open meeting. The signature page to the Schedule should then be signed by the Clerk, Manager, and the head of the governing body. FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no financial impact associated with this item. SOCIAL JUSTICE IMPACT: The following Orange County Social Justice Goal is applicable to this item: • GOAL: ENABLE FULL CIVIC PARTICIPATION The approval of the General Schedule will ensure continued transparency in County government operations and consistent access to public records; both of which will positively affect the above Goal. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT: There is no Orange County Environmental Responsibility Goal impact associated with this item.