Government Records and Records Management

Municipal Records

While KSHS, through the State Records Board, does have authority over state and county records, this authority does not extend to municipalities. The general schedule for counties found in the Local Government Records Manual in print or online should be used in an advisory way and should not be interpreted as a strict set of requirements for cities. Pertinent statutes for city records include KSA 12-120 and 121, which list the minimum retention for:

Claims and purchase orders attached thereto, 5 years

Warrants or warrant checks, paid, 5 years

Duplicates of receipts, 3 years

Duplicates of utility bills sent to customers, 5 years

Accounting records of utility customers, 3 years

Duplicates of licenses issued for license fees or taxes, 3 years

Bonds of officers or employees, 10 years

Insurance policies, 5 years, the period beginning at expiration of the policy unless a claim is pending.

Cancelled checks, 5 years

Requisition and duplicate purchase orders, 3 years

Bonds and coupons, if any, stamped paid or cancelled and returned by the fiscal agent, 5 years, the period beginning at the date of maturity of the bond or coupon.

You may wish to also see another city's examples of records retention and dispositions schedules, like the one we helped Topeka develop, at http://www.topeka.org/cityclerk/index.shtml. Go near the bottom under "Related Links" and click on "Records Management" to find their schedule. Other cities known to have records retention schedules include: Merriam, Lenexa, Overland Park, and Mission Hills.

To get a paper copy of the Local Government Records Management Manual, you need only print it off the website (preferred method) or request a paper copy. Additionally, all of the major county offices have been scheduled. These are available on the web or in print.

You may also download a slide show presentation using Adobe Acrobat (.pdf format) on separate topics like:

Municipal Records Management

Municipal Records Retention and Storage

Retention Scheduling

Government Records and Preservation Acts

Municipalities may find the 1985 Local Government Records Manual version of more use. If you don't find an entry in the new version, but do in the 1985, it is usually safe to say that you can follow the older manual in some cases.

Local Records Management Manual

Local Records Retention Schedules

Supreme Court Rule 108 Retention for Court Records