Records management is often an overlooked issue in both public and private sector offices; however, this task is becoming more vital every day. In this information age, everyone, from the average citizen to the largest corporation or government, must find a way to preserve, manage, store and organize their records. Whether your city has a population of 1,500 or 650,000, it is necessary to keep accurate wage and hour records on employees and have a comprehensive system for tracking documents. Good managers will expend significant time and effort in planning and making decisions about their labor force and their facilities, but few take the time to think about their records. The records of an office are often as essential to its operation as its employees, facilities and equipment. New employees can be hired and trained to replace those who leave; new office space and equipment can be leased or purchased to replace anything that is lost, even in cases of the worst disasters. If your records are lost or destroyed, however, there is nowhere to go to purchase replacements, and they often cannot be recreated.

For certain city officials, such as the city recorder, record keeping is one of the most important duties and purposes of the office. For others, such as employees of a police department, record keeping is incidental to the fundamental purpose of the job, which is law enforcement. Nevertheless, these offices still must comply with federal and state statutes that require accurate records regarding personnel, finances and other aspects of the office. Good records management practices will benefit both types of offices.

The items listed below will give you a complete guide to Records Management for Municipal Governments.