Empty grocery cart at a grocery store in front of a blurred background of items on a shelf.

Let’s Go Shopping with the 12 Local Retention Schedules

Declaring compliance with local government retention schedules is a lot like grocery shopping. Confused? Let me explain. However you look at it, every local government must declare compliance with a selection from TSLAC’s 12 local government retention schedules using either the SLR 512 (for elected officials) or SLR 508 (for everyone else). TSLAC has recommended…

The words "You Ask, We Answer" over two puzzle pieces labeled "Q" and "A" as well as the TSLAC logo.

Local Government Retention Schedules 101

You may have heard of TSLAC’s Local Government Retention Schedules when you started your new position with a local government. However, perhaps you have not been given much guidance in what they are or even how to use them. So, you find yourself asking this question: “How do I, as a beginner in records management…

How I Review a Recertification

The recertification process can be long and detailed—for the agency and for the analyst completing the review. One of the questions that we get during the process is, “How long does it take, and how does it work on TSLAC’s end?” This article explores how one Government Information Analyst approaches a schedule review. If you…

old tombstones

Remarkable Records: Cemeteries

By Michelle Johnson Managing local government cemetery records can be a spooky business. Texas legislative code is positively haunted with regulations for cemetery operations! We often hear from municipality and county records managers asking, “Am I the custodian of this cemetery record?” Although cemetery record series all have permanent retention periods, it is important to…

The Bucketing Strategy as a Precautionary Solution

Agencies or local governments that are tight on storage space might look forward to speedily carrying out disposition on records that have met their full retention periods, but there are cases when reaching a destruction eligibility date may not put the records manager in the clear to destroy or transfer those records. In those cases,…

How to Determine Fiscal Year End Retention Periods

Determining your record’s fiscal year end (FE) date is important for destroying that specific record on schedule. Read TSLAC’s recommendation for keeping a disposition log to understand consequences of destroying a record too early and TSLAC’s thoughts on keeping a record too long. Fiscal year (FY) is a 12-month period office’s use for accounting purposes.…