(A) Definitions.
RECORDS. Information required by ordinance, statute, regulation or administrative rule, in any format, created by or on behalf of the city.
RETENTION means the length of time that the city is required to maintain the record.
(B) Departments, commissions, and all other municipal officers or agencies shall maintain all records and documents, including all incoming and outgoing correspondence, in accordance with current New Hampshire Municipal Records Board Rules.
(C) Records that are described in the New Hampshire Municipal Records Board Rules may be disposed of after they have met the minimum retention period prescribed therein except as provided for elsewhere in this section.
(D) Departments, commissions, and all other municipal officers or agencies, may develop internal Retention Schedules which exceed the standards published in the New Hampshire Municipal Records Board Rules or as may be recommended by the City Solicitor.
(E) Records that may be needed by government agencies for legal actions must be retained for the entire period of the action even if their retention period has passed. The record must be retained for one additional year following the end of the legal action, or the end of the retention period, whichever is longer.
(F) Due to the diversity and rapidly changing functions of municipal government, new types of records may not be covered by the New Hampshire Municipal Records Board Rules. Before disposing of any record not so covered, the City Solicitor shall be contacted to determine if a legal minimum retention period has been established or is recommended, and the City Clerk shall be contacted to determine if there may be sufficient administrative or historical value to merit retention beyond established time periods.
(G) The Committee on Administration may order the loan, deposit, or ownership transfer of archival records or other records of enduring value that are worthy of permanent retention and special management because of the importance of the information they contain for historical or research purposes to another public or private records repository within the city to ensure the proper preservation and public access to these records.
(H) The outgoing Mayor shall deliver all records and documents, including all incoming and outgoing correspondence, belonging to his office or to the city, which are not of a personal nature, to the City Clerk, who shall give him a receipt therefor if desired. And the City Clerk shall be responsible for the retention or disposition of such records as provided for in this section.
(I) A permanent record shall be kept of the identity, inclusive dates, and approximate quantity of records that are destroyed or otherwise disposed of.
('71 Code, § 2-9) (Ord. passed 12-7-71; Am. Ord. passed 9-1-87; Am. Ord. passed 6-4-96)