Records Management and Communication Resources

Biography

In 1987, Records Management was first budgeted as its own department, and it reported to the Travis County Commissioners Court. Prior to that time, records management functions were performed by each county department. The Commissioners Court voted to have the position of Records Manager report to the director of Data Processing in 1989. That same year, the Texas Legislature passed the Local Government Records Act, charging all elected officials with specific duties and responsibilities regarding retention schedules, destruction of records, and related issues. Under the mandate established by the new Local Government Records Act, the Commissioners Court designated a Travis County Records Management Officer, a legal designation unrelated to any corresponding role in Information Technology Services (formerly Data Processing) department. In 1994, the Commissioners Court reorganized the administrative structure of 17 county departments that reported directly to the Court and established the executive manager reporting model. The following year, the Texas Comptroller Performance Review endorsed this functional reorganization. The Review recommended certain refinements, including the direct report of the Records Management and Communications Resources department to the Executive Manager of Administrative Operations instead of through the Information Technology Systems department. By 1996, Records Management and Communications Resources had been organized according to the Comptroller’s office recommendations, and added the print shop, mail room, media services, and law library functions. In 1997, the department added the Internet division, although in 1999, an Administrative Operations internal reorganization moved the Internet under the Information Technology Services department. In 2009, the Travis County Archives was established as a division of the Records Management department. Since 2009, Records Management and Communication Resources has reported to the Administrative Operations Subcommittee. Records Management and Communication Resources provides the following services: a public law library; the TCTV channel 17 television station; a public information booth in the courthouse; county operator assistance; internal print and mail services; internal copier and office equipment repair; imaging, storage, and destruction of county records; historical records preservation in the archives; and, coordination of the county's policy manual.

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