Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Records Retention topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
State Board of Health adopts new policy to retain Health Impact Review materials beyond six years
Summary
The Board voted unanimously to adopt Policy 2026-001, keeping HIR source materials internally beyond the current six‑year destruction timeline and keeping public summaries and final reports available online for ten years; members discussed costs and the wording ‘perpetuity.’
The Washington State Board of Health voted unanimously March 12 to adopt Policy 2026-001, changing how the Board retains Health Impact Review (HIR) materials. The policy directs staff to convert HIR source materials into internal reference records after six years while maintaining public-facing items — HIR request forms, executive summaries and final reports — on the Board’s website for ten years.
Board staff presented the draft policy and explained that retained materials would include request forms, executive summaries, EndNote libraries, journal articles, evidence spreadsheets, key informant interview data and calculations. Board member Mindy Flores asked which specific documents would be kept; staff said those items and any materials relevant to a report would be preserved internally. Assistant Attorney General Lilia Lopez noted some Department records are retained for as long as 75 years and advised the Board can set retention periods that meet legal minimums.
Members debated the term “perpetuity.” Vice Chair Kelly Oshiro questioned whether “perpetuity” is too vague; Chair Patty Hayes and staff agreed to language that allows staff to revisit the policy if long-term storage proves problematic. Executive Director Michelle Davis explained that minutes and other Board records are already stored with the State Archives and that retaining HIR materials would preserve institutional knowledge useful for future reviews.
The motion to adopt the policy (Member Nandi/Member Kutz) passed unanimously. The Board directed staff to finalize the policy and incorporate it into the Board’s Records Retention Guide. The policy adoption resolves the current practice of destroying HIR source materials after six years and creates a process for permanent internal retention while keeping summarized materials accessible to the public for a defined period.
