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Wichita County OKs contracts to inventory and catalog courthouse records
Summary
Wichita County Commissioners approved contracts with Records Consultants, Inc. to inventory Justice of the Peace and Lindemann Building records, using $100,000 set aside in Fund 04/2009 for 2026; destruction or digitization would be a later, separate step.
Wichita County Commissioners on Nov. 18 approved two contracts with Records Consultants, Inc. (RCI) to organize and catalog legacy records kept on the fourth floor of the courthouse and on the second floor of the Lindemann Building.
The court voted unanimously to pay for the work from Fund 04/2009 in 2026. The RCI proposals presented to the court listed $12,550 for the Justice of the Peace records and $53,925 for the Lindemann Building portion; county staff said roughly $100,000 had already been placed in Fund 04/2009 for records work in 2026.
Officials said the RCI engagement would create inventories tied to state retention schedules, label boxes, and identify which records could be destroyed or require permanent retention. The contract price does not include destruction or digitization; those actions would be considered separately after the inventory is complete. Commissioners discussed that certain classes of records — for example, death records — must be retained permanently, while other files likely could be disposed of under state schedules.
Commissioner Beauchamp moved to approve both RCI proposals; Commissioner Fincannon seconded the motion and the court carried it 5-0. County staff and RCI representatives said the work will let the county evaluate the cost and timing of later digitization or secure destruction and will produce a manifest to document what remains and what is eligible for disposal.
County staff cautioned that RCI’s estimate was based on a visual box count and that final costs could be higher or lower once contractors physically inventory each box. Commissioners agreed to allow a contingency in the project budget to accommodate that uncertainty. The court also asked that destroyed records be documented with certificates of destruction or other records so future questions about disposal can be answered.
Next steps include establishing a project manager to oversee the inventory, confirming the RCI timeline and exact scope, and returning to the court with cost estimates for any requested digitization or destruction work.
