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TOPIC:
Records Management Policy
POLICY NUMBER: 40
DATE APPROVED: June 21, 2016 (#2016-095)
DATE REVISED:
1. TITLE
1.1 This Policy may be cited as the "Records Management Policy"
2. SCOPE
2.1. This policy is applicable throughout the municipal unit, including all departments in the
municipal unit falling under the authority of the Municipal Clerk/Treasurer, and throughout all
of the municipal unit's agencies, boards and commissions.
3. PURPOSE
3.1. To establish effective management control and administration over the receipt, creation, use,
maintenance, storage, and ultimate disposition of all information, regardless of format, and to
do so in a flexible manner that is user-friendly and tailored to meet user needs.
3.2. To support compliance with the Municipal Government Act, Part XX Freedom of Information
and Protection of Privacy, and any other relevant legislation.
3.3. To designate responsibilities and accountability for the management of municipal information,
regardless of format.
4. INTERPRETATION
4.1. In this Policy:
4.1.1. "Council" means the Council of the Municipality of the County of Antigonish;
4.1.2. "Municipality" means the Municipality of the County of Antigonish;
4.1.3. "Designated Officer" means the person designated by Council to act on behalf of the
Municipality to manage and maintain the Records Management System;
4.1.4. "Manual" means the Association of Municipal Administrators (AMA) Records
Management Manual, second edition, as amended from time to time;
4.1.5. "Record" includes books, documents, maps, drawings, photographs, letters, vouchers,
paper and any other thing on which information is recorded or stored by graphic,
electronic, mechanical or other means, but does not include a computer program or any
other mechanism that produces records; and,
4.1.6. "Records Management System" means an electronic or paper-based system used by the
Municipality to manage the records of the Municipality from record creation through to
records disposal.
5. POLICY STATEMENT
5.1. It is the policy of the Municipality to create, classify, maintain, access, retrieve, store, destroy,
and preserve information resources throughout their life cycle according to the standards and
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RECORDS MANAGEMENT POLICY
procedures prescribed under the Association of Municipal Administrators (AMA) Records
Management Manual.
5.2. It is the policy of the Municipality to manage information resources as a valuable asset for the
following purposes:
5.2.1. Supporting effective decision making;
5.2.2. Meeting operational requirements;
5.2.3. Ensuring the widest possible use of information resources within the municipal unit;
5.2.4. Protecting the legal, financial, and other interests of the Municipality, and the public;
and,
5.2.5. Restricting access according to the Nova Scotia Municipal Government Act, Part XX
Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy, and other relevant policies and
legislation.
5.3. It is the policy of the Municipality to identify and preserve information resources that serve to
reconstruct the evolution of policy and program decisions or that have archival value. It is also
the policy of the Municipality to ensure that such information is organized in a manner to be
readily available for the study of decision making in the municipal unit and for other research
purposes that help explain the historical role of the municipal unit.
5.4. It is the policy of the Municipality to ensure that records management functions are
incorporated into existing and future information technology applications.
5.5. To facilitate an efficient records management and retrieval system, it is the policy of the
Municipality to eliminate the unnecessary collection of information by maintaining only
records that are pertinent to the operational requirements of the municipality, coordinating
information collection to avoid duplication, and to ensure that the collection of personal
information is in accordance with the Nova Scotia Municipal Government Act, Part XX,
Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy.
5.6. It is the policy of the Municipality to ensure that all information resources, regardless of
format, are subject to timely public access according to the provisions and limitations of the
Nova Scotia Municipal Government Act, Part XX, Freedom of Information and Protection of
Privacy.
6. ADOPTION OF CLASSIFICATION AND RETENTION SCHEDULE
6.1. The Municipality, in accordance with the Nova Scotia Municipal Government Act, adopts the
Association of Municipal Administrators (AMA) Records Management Manual, second edition
and amended from time to time, as its approved classification system and records retention
schedule.
7. COMPLIANCE WITH THE RECORDS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
7.1. All records in the custody and control of the employees of the Municipality are the property of
the Municipality. All records of the Municipality must comply with the Records Management
System and this Policy. All employees and management of the Municipality must comply with
this Policy.
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RECORDS MANAGEMENT POLICY
8. DESIGNATED OFFICER
8.1. The Designated Officer is responsible for the management and maintenance of the Records
Management System.
8.2. The Designated Officer is authorized to amend the classification and retention schedules
outlined in the Manual in order to best address the specific needs of the Municipality.
9. DESTRUCTION OF RECORDS
9.1. When the Designated Officer determines that the retention period for a given Record, as
described in the Manual, has ended, the Designated Officer will initiate the steps for the
proper disposition of the Record in accordance with the requirements of the Manual.
9.2. Records pertaining to any actual or pending government investigation, audit, freedom of
information access request, litigation, or legal claim should not be destroyed until that actual
or pending action is complete. In these circumstances, a "legal hold" process will supersede
the disposition schedule in the Manual.
9.3. Records disposition must be undertaken in a manner that preserves the confidentiality of
Records, including the privacy of individuals noted in any information they may contain.
9.4. All copies of Records, including security, preservation and backup copies, must be included
when that Record is scheduled for disposition.
9.5. The Designated Officer must maintain a Record documenting the disposition actions taken as
per the Manual. Certification of destruction is generally provided by document destruction
agencies and these must be retained permanently. At minimum, the record of disposition
must include information about the Record's series title, date range, and method of
disposition.
9.6. The Municipality will not destroy minutes, by-laws, policies, and resolutions of Council in
accordance with Section 34 of the Nova Scotia Municipal Government Act.