Public records officer trains commissioners on retention, personal-device rules

Mark Brockman, the county's administrative services public records officer, told the Kitsap County Planning Commission during a Sept. 29 work study that the records commissioners create or hold in their official roles are public records under state law and subject to retention and disposition rules. He cited the Public Records Act and state retention schedules, noting that "if we create it or if we possess it, it is a record if it is in connection with the transaction of public business."

Brockman walked commissioners through retention versus disposition, the role of the state archives, and the county’s schedule practices. He said electronic records and databases are treated like any other records and warned that failing to manage records can increase public-disclosure risk and cost. "Anything you write could end up on the front page of a newspaper," he said, urging commissioners to "think before you write."

Commissioners asked practical questions about records after terms end and access to county email; Brockman said retention depends on the type of record, that county email archives go back to 1996, and that staff will work with departing commissioners to transition responsive records. He also explained that staff may request affidavits attesting that a commissioner provided all responsive records during a public-records search.