To: Board of Supervisors
From: Marc Shorr, Information Technology Director
Report Title: Department of Information Technology Records Retention.
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE AND AUTHORIZE the ongoing destruction of certain County records maintained by the Department of Information Technology as follows: (1) personnel records that are no longer necessary for county purposes and are not otherwise required by law to be preserved may be destroyed at the direction of the Chief Information Officer seven years after employment ends; and (2) other records that are over five years old, are no longer necessary for county purposes, and are not otherwise required by law to be preserved, may be destroyed at the direction of the Chief Information Officer.
FISCAL IMPACT:
No Fiscal Impact.
BACKGROUND:
This request for a Records Retention Policy applies exclusively to the Department of Information Technology and establishes guidelines for the retention and lawful disposition of departmental records in accordance with applicable state statutes. The policy is intended to support effective records management while ensuring compliance with legal, administrative, and operational requirements.
To efficiently manage the volume of records continuously generated and received, including but not limited to electronic and paper files, the Department of Information Technology must dispose of unnecessary records and documents that have no apparent historical significance or further administrative or litigation value, are more than two years old, are not required to be maintained by state statute, and are no longer necessary or required for County purposes pursuant to Government Code section 26202.
For efficient records management, the Department of Information Technology must also dispose of personnel files that have been maintained for more than seven years after employment ends, have no apparent historical significance or further administrative or litigation value, are no longer required by law to be preserved, and are no longer necessary or required for County purposes pursuant to Labor Code section 1198.5(c)(1) and Government Code sections 12946 and 26202.
Government Code section 26202 provides that unless the law requires a record to be preserved, any record more than two years old may be destroyed without being photographed, microfilmed or otherwise reproduced if the Board determines by four-fifths (4/5) vote that the retention of such documents is no longer necessary or required for County purposes.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If the Board of Supervisors does not approve this recommendation, then the Department of Information Technology will not have a clearly specified records retention policy.