We are excited to announce that the following local government records retention schedules will go into effect on April 3, 2011:

• Local Schedule EL, 2nd edition (Records of Elections and Voter Registration)
• Local Schedule GR, 4th edition (Records Common to All Local Governments)
• Local Schedule HR, 2nd edition (Records of Local Public Health Agencies)
• Local Schedule PW, 2nd edition (Records of Public Works and Other Government Services)
• Local Schedule TX, 3rd edition (Records of Property Taxation)
• Local Schedule UT, 2nd edition (Records of Public Utility Services)

Where will we find the new schedules?

We will be posting links to the new editions of the schedules on our website and this blog by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, April 4th.

How will we know what’s changing?

Any new or substantially revised series will be marked with an asterisk (*) preceding the series’ record number (for example, *GR1000-01b).

Additionally, to help ease this transition, we have created lists of the changes to each schedule. Click on the links below to download these change documents:

• Changes from 1st edition to 2nd edition of Local Schedule EL (PDF, 95 KB)
• Changes from 3rd edition to 4th edition of Local Schedule GR (PDF, 173 KB)
• Changes from 1st edition to 2nd edition of Local Schedule HR (PDF, 155 KB)
• Changes from 1st edition to 2nd edition of Local Schedule PW (PDF, 104 KB)
• Changes from 2nd edition to 3rd edition of Local Schedule TX (PDF, 95 KB)
• Changes from 1st edition to 2nd edition of Local Schedule UT (PDF, 119 KB)

The change documents list additions of new records series; changes in retention periods; changes in records series titles; changes in record descriptions, which often change the scope of a records series; changes in citations of applicable laws (e.g., Local Government Code, Elections Code, Health and Safety Code), administrative rules (e.g., Texas Administrative Code), and other standards dictating retention periods; changes or additions in remarks (such as a retention note recommending archival review); and deletions of records series. They do not list non-substantive changes such as minor amendments to grammar or punctuation.

How will the changes affect our records management program?

It depends on the way your government has chosen to meet the records scheduling requirement of the Local Government Records Act. For example, if your government has met this requirement through the SLR 508 (Declaration of Compliance with the Records Scheduling Requirement of the Local Government Records Act), the changes will automatically go into effect for your government with no further action needed. Our September 22nd article on revisions to Local Schedules JC and SD explain how the revised schedules affect your program.

Where can I get help?

Government Information Analysts are available Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., to answer your questions. Please contact the analyst assigned to your county or call (512) 421-7200.