HomeMy WebLinkAboutRecords Destruction ProcedureDESTRUCTION PROCESS
Destruction Overview
I. Records which are due for destruction review are identified within Laserfiche,
BluePrince, Application Extender, the N-Drive, SharePoint, Outlook, Tyler
Munis, third party-contractors and offsite storage vendors. Any boxes in
Circulation are called back. A Records Disposition Workflow is created in
Laserfiche which incorporates non-Laserfiche repositories for the records that
are eligible for destruction.
NOTE: The initial destruction review event in 2024 will be divided into sub-
events by record series, such as Administration, Contracts, Employee Files,
etc.. This is due to an extended hiatus on destruction activities for most
departments over the last decade.
II. For each event, a Destruction Notification memo is created by the City Clerk’s
office. The Destruction Notification is addressed to the Records Liaison for
that department. The Notification instructs the Records Liaison to respond by a
specific due date. The response is the department's decision as to whether each
record in the Notification is to be destroyed or retained. If it is to be retained, a
reason must be provided.
III. The responses to the Destruction Notifications are received by the City Clerk’s
office via email, or if the department is using it, Laserfiche. The City Clerk’s
office tracks the responses. The City Clerk’s office assembles the Destruction
Notifications and responses in a searchable .pdf format. When the response due
date has passed, the City Clerk compiles a list for the City Legal Counsel to
review. The City Legal Counsel reviews requests to retain longer than the
retention period and may recommend a litigation hold on those and other
records to protect the City’s interests.
IV. Once the City Legal Counsel returns the notated Destruction Notification to the
City Clerk, the City Clerk drafts a Staff Report and a Resolution for the City
Council.
V. The City Council meets. The City Council may override a department’s retain
response if the reason for the Hold is not for legal purposes.
VI. The City Council minutes are received by City Clerk.
The City Clerk will do the following:
1) Note in Laserfiche any records which the City Council has decided to
retain. The Manager will tag the physical records with a Hold Info
temporary label and assign a future review date.
2) Edits as needed to the Laserfiche data regarding a specific carton.
3) The records approved for destruction are flagged in Laserfiche as
approved.
VII. The City Clerk compiles the Destruction Authorization Report which shall
comprise only those records which were approved for destruction.
VIII. The City Clerk sends the approved Destruction Authorization report to offsite
storage vendors, referencing cartons of records that may now be destroyed.
IX The City Clerk sends the approved Destruction Authorization report to third-
party contractors who manage City services on behalf of the City to remove
records from those systems.
X. The City Clerk works with the Information Technology Department to delete
those records on each Destruction Authorization Report from: SharePoint, the
N-Drive, Application Extender, BluePrince, C-Drives, Tyler Munis and other
repositories that may be used by the departments.
XI. The City Clerk schedules a “shred day” with the departments with paper
records which are eligible for destruction with a vendor who will recycle the
shredded paper to support the City’s sustainability policy.
VIII. The approved destruction authorization report is returned to the City Clerk for
processing. City Clerk completes the destruction process by noting the records
as destroyed in Laserfiche. A pick list is then generated and the boxes are
pulled off the shelves and/or the call back notices are re-sent. Any records not
received back are noted. A list is generated of all records ready for destruction
and picked up by the destruction vendor. The boxes and their contents will be
cross-shredded and then recycled. The list of boxes destroyed will be attached
to the vendor invoice to complete the destruction cycle.
IX. City Clerk informs clients of which records have been held and/ or destroyed
and which have not been received back from end users.
X. Certificates of Destruction are kept for a retention period of “Life of the Legal
Entity”.
XI. Call back notices for boxes on the destruction list will be sent every 30 days
until the boxes are received back at City Clerk and destroyed.