Agenda 08-26-2025; 8-d - Adoption of Program and General Records Retention and Disposition Schedules for Local Government Agencies

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6 media platforms). Appropriately retaining record copies and disposing of reference copies requires agencies to designate clearly what position or office is required to maintain an official record for the duration of its designated retention period. Transitory Records Transitory records are defined as "record[s] that [have] little or no documentary or evidential value and that need not be set aside for future use."' North Carolina has a broad definition of public records. However,the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources recognizes that some records may have little or no long-term documentary or evidential value to the creating agency. These records are often called transitory records. They may be disposed of according to the guidance below. However, all public employees should be familiar with their appropriate retention schedule and any other applicable guidelines for their office. If there is a required retention period for these records,that requirement must be followed. When in doubt about whether a record is transitory or whether it has special significance or importance, retain the record in question and seek guidance from a DNCR records analyst. Routing slips and transmittal sheets adding no information to that contained in the transmitted material have minimal value after the material has been successfully transmitted. These records may be destroyed or otherwise disposed of after receipt of the material has been confirmed. Similarly, "while you were out" slips, memory aids, and other records requesting follow-up actions(including voicemails and calendar invites) have minimal value once the official action these records are supporting has been completed and documented. These records may be destroyed or otherwise disposed of once the action has been resolved. Drafts and working papers, including notes and calculations, are materials gathered or created to assist in the creation of another record. All drafts and working papers are public records subject to all provisions of Chapter 132 of the General Statutes, but many of them have minimal value after the final version of the record has been approved, and may be destroyed after final approval, if they are no longer necessary to support the analysis or conclusions of the official record. Drafts and working documents that maybe destroyed after final approval include: • Drafts and working papers for internal and external policies • Drafts and working papers for internal administrative reports,such as daily and monthly activity reports; • Drafts and working papers for internal, non-policy-level documents, such as informal workflows and manuals;and • Drafts and working papers for presentations, workshops, and other explanations of agency policy that is already formally documented. Forms used solely to create, update, or modify records in an electronic medium may be destroyed in office after completion of data entry and after all verification and quality control procedures,so long as these records are not required for audit or legal purposes. However, if the forms contain any analog components that are necessary to validate the information contained on them (e.g., a signature or notary's seal),they must be retained according to the disposition instructions for the records series encompassing the forms'function. It is further agreed that these records may not be destroyed prior to the time periods stated; however,for sufficient reason they may be retained for longer periods. These schedules supersede previous versions of these schedules and any localized amendments;they are to remain in effect from the date of approval until they are reviewed and updated. Z Ibid. 2021 Program Records Schedule: Local Government Agencies iii