City Council Staff Report Page 1 of 3 April 14, 2026
Staff Report
Agenda Item No. 3.3
DATE: April 14, 2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
FROM: Joan Malloy, City Manager
SUBJECT: Adopt a Resolution Approving Updated Records Retention Schedules for the City of Union City
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt a resolution approving updated Records Retention Schedules for the City of Union City. The updated schedules provide a comprehensive, citywide framework for the retention and lawful disposition of records maintained by City departments. The schedules are intended to improve records management practices, support compliance with applicable legal retention requirements, and establish consistent standards for the maintenance, storage, and destruction of City records.
The updated schedules include citywide administrative records and departmental record series across multiple City departments and functions. The schedules include record descriptions, office of record designations, retention periods, and legal citation references for each record series.
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT
This item supports Goal B. Governance and Organization Effectiveness: Commit to local government best practices and employee development.
Adoption of updated Records Retention Schedules advances sound records governance, operational consistency, and legal compliance across departments.
BACKGROUND
The City maintains a broad range of records in paper and electronic formats in order to support municipal operations, preserve official actions, document financial and administrative activities, and comply with legal obligations. Periodic updates to the City’s Records Retention Schedules are necessary to reflect current departmental operations, modern records management practices, and evolving legal and administrative requirements.
Agenda Item No. 3.3
City Council Staff Report Page 2 of 3 April 14, 2026
The updated schedules establish record series and retention rules for citywide administrative records, including records and information management program materials, records retention schedules, destruction certificates, destruction documentation, and records inventories. The schedules also address departmental operational records across multiple functions and service areas throughout the organization.
The City’s Records Retention Schedules have been updated over time, section by section, and some schedules reflect legacy formats or older revisions. As a result, a comprehensive review was needed to modernize the schedules and ensure consistency across departments.
DISCUSSION
The proposed update reflects a comprehensive review and modernization of the City’s Records Retention Schedules, including schedules that in some cases had not been substantively updated for many years. The revisions reorganize and standardize record series, update departmental categories to reflect current operations, clarify record descriptions and office of record designations, and update retention periods and legal citation references where appropriate. The updated schedules are intended to provide a clearer and more consistent framework for records management, retention, and lawful destruction across City departments.
Approval of the updated schedules will provide several administrative benefits. First, it will promote consistent retention practices across departments. Second, it will help ensure that records with historical, legal, fiscal, or operational significance are preserved for the appropriate period. Third, it will establish a clearer framework for the lawful destruction of records that have met their retention requirements, thereby improving storage management and reducing unnecessary accumulation of inactive records.
The schedules recognize that certain records must be retained permanently due to their legal, historical, or administrative significance. Following Council approval, staff will finalize the updated schedules, incorporate any final non-substantive clerical corrections identified during the review process, and implement the schedules as the City’s official records retention framework across departments.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no direct fiscal impact associated with adopting the updated Records Retention Schedules. Implementation of the schedules is expected to support more efficient management of physical and electronic records and may reduce long-term storage and administrative burdens associated with retaining records longer than necessary.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt a resolution approving updated Records Retention Schedules for the City of Union City.
Prepared by: Thai Nam Pham, City Clerk
Agenda Item No. 3.3
City Council Staff Report Page 3 of 3 April 14, 2026
Submitted by: Thai Nam Pham, City Clerk
Attachments
1. Draft Resolution
2. Exhibit A – Records Retention Schedules