County approves one-month records consolidation coordinator contract; digitization work to begin

The Norfolk County Commission on July 30 approved a one-month contract for a records consolidation coordinator to help move, consolidate and digitize county records. The position is funded as a short-term contract at $20 per hour for up to 37.5 hours per week, beginning with an anticipated end date of Sept. 3 and an option to extend for up to four additional weeks.

"We placed an ad for a contract position for someone to help us consolidate files from various buildings," Director of Purchasing Maureen McKeown told the commission. She said the hire would learn records-retention law, coordinate scanning where needed and work under the direction of records staff and Bill Buckley, the county's public records officer. McKeown said the contractor would perform some digitization and help oversee final disposition in accordance with retention rules.

County Director John Cronin told commissioners the county's record-management project is proceeding ahead of schedule: HR records are complete in the high-density storage system, and procurement staff are about halfway through moving records from the Blue House and the Registry of Deeds. Cronin said the temporary coordinator, Andrew Laverge, will start in the coming week and will work from the second floor where records are located.

The commission approved the short-term contract by motion. Staff said the contract and related digitization work are intended to support compliance with retention rules and to enable secure consolidation and eventual approved destruction of records as appropriate.