CORPORATE WIDE RECORDS MANAGEMENT

1. CORPORATE WIDE RECORDS MANAGEMENT CORPORATION OF THE TOWN OF NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE

2. STRATEGIC PLAN KEY GOALS AND SUPPORTING STRATEGIES 2. • To recognize, value and utilize all members of the NOTL team to advance our mission and vision (Taxpayers, Elected Officials, Employees and Volunteers) and to ensure each has the necessary resources to be successful 2.1 • “To develop an overall technology skills development plan to assist staff and Council in embracing appropriate new technologies in our service delivery system, including improvement of our Records Management System and implement methods to monitor and provide status of citizen complaints and issues in our system”

3. WHY A CORPORATE WIDE RECORDS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM • Support government transparency • Minimize litigation risks • Ensure regulatory compliance • Safeguard vital information • Preserve corporate memory • Improve productivity TO ENSURE OUR CORPORATE RECORDS ARE • Trustworthy • Complete • Accessible • Durable

4. MUNICIPAL ACT 2001 SECTION 253.(1) Inspection of Records – Subject to the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, any person may, at all reasonable times, inspect any of the records under the control of the clerk, including, • by-laws and resolutions of the municipality and of its local boards; • Minutes and proceedings of regular, special or committee meetings of the council or local board, whether the minutes and proceedings have been adopted or not; • Records considered at a meeting, except those records considered during that part of a meeting that was closed to the public; • The records of the council; • Statements of remuneration and expenses prepared under section 284

5. MUNICIPAL ACT 2001 • Section 254.(1) of the Municipal Act, 2001 states in part: A municipality shall retain and preserve the records of the municipality…in a secure and accessible manner…

6. BARRIERS TO RECORDS MANAGEMENT • Assumption that Records Management is just filing • No revenue generation • Not a part of the business strategy • Usually a discretionary program • Lack of resources

7. WHERE THE CORPORATION IS TODAY • Each department in the Corporation (Public Works, Fire, Parks & Recreation, Planning and Building, Corporate Services and Administration) all keep and maintain their own records

8. CORPORATE WIDE RECORDS MANAGEMENT GOALS • Ensure our records are managed in an efficient and cost effective manner • Quickly and easily retrieved when needed • Protected from premature destruction • Disposed of once their value has ceased

9. MOVING FORWARD….. • The CAO has made Corporate Wide Records Management a priority and each department is willing to work towards this goal • The Administrative Assistants are working with the Clerk’s Department to identify requirements for a system • Clerk’s staff have researched Record Management Systems in today’s technological world

10. WHY ELECTRONIC RECORDS MANAGEMENT FOR THE CORPORATION • Up to 93% of information is created electronically • Inability to find information critical to current decision making • Typical office worker spends 40% of time looking for information • Each document is copied an average of 19 times • Electronic records are difficult to delete • Records are records, regardless of format

11. continued • Inability to retain records for as long as legally, historically and operationally necessary • Reduce number of filing cabinets creating more office space • Ability to keep old records on site electronically • Ability to relocate old paper files off site • Regular back up to protect records

12. TOP TEN REASONS TO HAVE AN ELECTRONIC RECORDS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

13. TEN • A filing cabinet cannot multitask, it can only store documents. An electronic records management system would allow more for less. Documents can be stored, searched, printed, emailed and tracked in seconds

14. NINE • It costs thousands of dollars to fill a four drawer filing cabinet and maintain it. Just think of the savings or good use that money could be put towards if those clunky cabinets were gone

15. EIGHT • The average employee spends 400 hours per year searching for paper documents. Wouldn’t it be better doing something else with those 400 hours

16. SEVEN • For every document misfiled, the Corporation spends time and money searching for it. An electronic records management system gets the document to the right place

17. SIX • Filing cabinets and paper take up an enormous amount of office area. Going paperless frees up valuable space

18. FIVE • An electronic records management system secures the documents that are critical to the corporation

19. FOUR • Instant access, full-text search, efficient processing of requests and stores all types of files

20. THREE • Improve customer service, retrieve pertinent information efficiently

21. TWO • Documents in a digital format, can be backed up to an off-site location and are easily and readily available in case of an emergency

22. ONE • The days of vast paper records are beginning to fade • Going electronically can help save the planet by reducing our carbon footprint • It is time we move forward into the electronic age of records management

23. NEXT STEPS • $20,000 has been allocated for Records Management in the 2011 budget • A Request for Proposal/Expression of Interest for an Electronic Records Management System be initiated • Update the Town’s Retention By-law and ensure it is followed • January 1, 2012 go live

24. FUTURE STEPS • Commitment from Council to support 2012 and beyond • Records Management to become an on going budget program • Incorporate historical files electronically

25. THANK YOU Respectfully Submitted by Holly Dowd and Vicki Butters