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GENERAL RECORDS RETENTION SCHEDULE FOR MINNESOTA CITIES <br /> <br /> <br />Purpose of the General Records Retention Schedule <br /> <br />The purpose of a records retention schedule is to provide a plan for managing government records by <br />giving continuing authority to dispose of records under Minnesota Statutes section 138.17. <br /> <br />This City General Records Retention Schedule establishes minimum retention periods for city records <br />based on their administrative, fiscal, legal and historical value. It lists records series common to cities <br />and identifies how long to retain them. <br /> <br />This schedule was originally developed by the Minnesota State Department of Administration, <br />Information Policy Analysis Division and the Minnesota Historical Society, Division of Archives and <br />Manuscripts and was funded in part by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records <br />Commission. <br /> <br />The revised schedule was updated by city clerks and officials representing the Minnesota Clerks and <br />Finance Officers Association (MCFOA). <br /> <br />Adopting and Using the General Schedule <br /> <br />1. A city that has adopted the previous version of this general schedule does not need to notify the <br />Minnesota Historical Society that it is adopting this revised edition of the General Records Retention <br />Schedule for Cities. It will be assumed that cities that have adopted the previous version will now <br />utilize this revised version. <br />If you have not previously adopted the general schedule, to begin disposing of records, you must <br />notify the State Archives of the Minnesota Historical Society that your city has adopted the schedule. <br />The enclosed form, “Notification of Adoption of City General Records Retention Schedule”, is used for <br />this purpose. <br />2. You may adopt the schedule even though your office may not have all the records listed on it. We <br />recommend that you adopt the entire schedule. However, if this is not possible you may adopt <br />individual sections. <br />3. The Minnesota Historical Society will sign and return the Notification form to you. You will then have <br />the authority to dispose of your government records as indicated on the schedule. <br />4. Compare the records in your office with the records listed on the schedule. Retention periods listed <br />on the schedule represent the minimum length of time that you must retain your records. Once that <br />retention period has been reached you may destroy the records as indicated on the schedule. If you <br />need to retain some records series longer than the listed retention, you should establish an agency <br />policy for those records. <br />5. The retention stated on the schedule applies to any form of the record (paper, computer tape or disk, <br />microfilm, optical disk, electronic media, etc.). <br />6. Data Practices Classifications are effective as of the printing of this Retention Schedule. Because <br />data practices issues change regularly, classifications may have changed. For current information on <br />data practices, consult Minnesota State Statutes, Chapter 13, or call the State of Minnesota, <br />Department of Administration, Data Practices Office at 651-296-6733 or 1-800-657-3721.