Chris Coriel, vice president of sales for Records Consultants Inc., told the Wichita County Commissioners Court the county has a large and mixed archive of inactive records and described a standard service that inventories, classifies, digitizes and destroys records by the box. “Our services are by the box,” Coriel said, describing the firm’s standard approach.

Coriel told commissioners his San Antonio-based company has worked with local governments across Texas and the U.S. and partners with the Texas State Library and Archives Commission on retention schedule compliance. He said the state maintains a set of retention schedules and related bulletins that specify how long record series must be kept and that counties present a particular challenge because each elected official is a records management officer for their own office.

Why it matters: County clerks and other elected offices are responsible for retaining public records to meet state requirements, provide timely responses to records requests and reduce storage and disaster risk. Coriel warned that inactive records tend to accumulate and that many boxes are eligible for destruction under retention rules, while other boxes hold permanent material that should be digitized and preserved.

Key points Coriel reported: his on‑site walk-through counted roughly 350 boxes in some JP offices and an estimated 800 large-format probate ledgers and hundreds of deed and tax ledgers in another storage room. He estimated that scanning uncatalogued ledgers and other materials could run in the high hundreds of thousands of dollars — “probably three‑quarters of a million to a million dollars” if everything were to be digitized — and said a typical records‑classification fee runs roughly $30–$40 per box. Coriel said it is common, after classification, to find 40–60% of boxes eligible for destruction under state retention rules.

Discussion vs. decision: The presentation was informational. Commissioners and staff asked questions about which records had already been scanned, whether older microfilm had been digitized, and whether paper copies must be retained when an electronic copy exists. Coriel said TSLAC (Texas State Library and Archives Commission) allows entities to keep permanent records electronically when they meet the agency’s electronic‑records policies, but that entities must file an electronic records policy and a compliance certification with the state. He recommended the county work with TSLAC to confirm which materials can be retired as paper once an authoritative digital copy exists.

Practical next steps discussed: staff and the county clerk should (1) compile or confirm an inventory of inactive records (TSLAC Bulletin C recommends box‑level inventories), (2) determine which items are already digitized and where those files are stored and backed up, and (3) decide which series the county will retain in paper as a redundant copy versus migrate to an electronic master. Coriel offered RCI’s standard box‑by‑box inventory and classification service and estimated that performing an inventory on several thousand items already visible on the second floor (excluding the basement) would be on the order of $100,000–$150,000.

Ending: Commissioners accepted the briefing as information and discussed following up with the county clerk, the county’s IT staff and TSLAC to determine an agreed scope and funding path before any procurement. No formal action or contract award took place at the meeting.