Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Records Digitization topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board debates digitizing archived complaint files after $19,000 vendor estimate; staff to check archives and report back
Summary
Board staff reported a vendor bid of about $19,000 to digitize complaint files. Members discussed archival retention, the benefits of searchable digital records, and agreed to contact archives and report options at a future meeting.
The Legislative Ethics Board discussed whether to digitize archived complaint files and asked staff to check archives' retention practices and report back with options.
Board staff said she had sought bids and reported a vendor estimate: "It would cost about $19,000," she said, and added that during prior archiving she was told archives might destroy files — a concern that prompted the digitization review. A different archives contact clarified the legislature has an agreement with archives that many legislative files are retained and "our stuff will never be destroyed," the staff said.
Members weighed practical trade-offs. One board member recommended shifting to a digital-first process for new records to avoid adding to boxes in the archives. Jennifer offered to scan current files and keep them on OneDrive for quick access, but members asked whether a scan would qualify as an official archived document or whether the archives would require originals to be retained.
The Board asked Jennifer to consult archives about their originals policy and return with a recommended approach. No funding decision or contract award was made at the meeting.
