Management

Under the Public Records Act and 1 V.S.A. § 317a, public agencies are charged with systematically managing their public records “to provide ready access to vital information, to promote the efficient and economical operation of government, and to preserve their legal, administrative, and informational value.”

1 V.S.A. § 317a was added to the Public Records Act by Act 96 of 2008 as a re-codification of sections of Title 22, Chapter 11, which was repealed by Act 96. 1 V.S.A. § 317a has its origins in Act 229 of 1937, which created the Public Records Commission to oversee the administration of public records by both state and local government. The Public Records Commission, which was succeeded by the Public Records Advisory Board and finally the Vermont State Archives and Records Administration (also by Act 96 of 2008), was created as an outgrowth of Joint Resolution 306 of 1935 and legislative concerns about the condition and management of local records in the State of Vermont.

1 V.S.A. § 317a was last amended by Act 100 of 2018 to include a cross-reference to the services provided to local and state public agencies under the Statewide Records and Information Management Program administered by the Vermont State Archives and Records Administration.