The following general procedures will be followed by Texas State Library staff in developing original and amended records retention schedules.

(1) Research. (A) An attempt will be made to identify all relevant federal and state statutes, administrative rules, and rules of court affecting the length of time for which each type of record maintained by a local government office should be retained in order to satisfy legal, fiscal, and administrative requirements of the local office, the state of Texas, and individual citizens of the state. (B) Retention periods established by other states for similar categories of local government records will be reviewed to determine generally accepted standards. (C) Representative officials maintaining records of the types to be governed by each schedule will be consulted to determine as much as possible a consensus opinion as to appropriate retention periods forthose records. (D) Other state agencies having regulatory or supervisory authority over records of the types in each schedule will be consulted to establish, if possible, mutually satisfactory retention periods for those records. (E) Historians, attorneys, genealogists, and other members of the public who may have particular interest in the research use of records in a schedule will be consulted as to the potential permanent research value and likely frequency of research use of such records.

(2) Drafting and review. (A) Following research and consultation as required in paragraph (1)(A)-(E) of this section, a preliminary draft of each schedule will be prepared and submitted to a representative sample of officials in each type of office affected, and to any other officials who ask to receive review copies, and to state agencies having regulatory or supervisory authority over local government records of thetypes in the schedule, for review and comment. (B) After its adoption, each schedule will be reviewed annually for needed revisions, and such revisions will be developed through the same process as the original schedules.

(3) Distribution. (A) The Texas State Library will provide one free copy of each schedule to the records management officer of each government of a type to which the schedule is applicable, who has filed with the Texas State Library the notice of appointment and ordinance or order required by the Local Government Code, §203.025 and §203.026. (B) The Texas State Library will provide one free copy of each schedule to elected county officials whose offices are of a type to which the schedule is applicable and who have filed a written plan as required by the Local Government Code, §203.005. (C) The Texas State Library will notify each records managementofficer or elected county official, who has been provided a free copy of a schedule, of amendments to retention periods, procedural requirements, or cited authority for a retention period in the schedule. Notice will not be provided of amendments which are only editorial in nature. (D) The Texas State Library will refer other local government officials and staff requesting copies of schedules to the records management officers for their governments.

Source Note: The provisions of this §7.124 adopted to be effective February 1, 1992, 16 TexReg 7733.