Public Notice
The City Auditor’s Office adopted new administrative rules, which are effective on June 4, 2025.
Published
The City Auditor has adopted the following new administrative rules:
These rules were available for public comment for 30 days.
Summary of changes to the ARA 8 series on Archives & Records Management
All rules for Series 8 have been updated to meet the requirements of the voter-approved Charter amendments and align with mayor-council form of government. They have been revised to remove obsolete information and include updated language in line with updated City Code and City structure as well as updated language for the Archives & Records Management Division.
ARA-8.01 - Preservation of Archival (Historical) Material
- Updated to current mission and program language for Archives & Records Division
- Provided definitions used throughout Archives & Records Management Administrative Rules (Series 8)
- Revised policies to reflect current practice in Archives & Records Management Division for records transfer and storage
- Added links to Deed of Gift and Transfer of Jurisdiction forms
ARA-8.03 – Public Records Requests
- Updated links for the Portland Public Records Center and public records resources
- Added language to create an agreement to receive records, invoices, and fee estimates electronically to comply with the "Uniform Electronic Transaction Act"
- Updated fee waiver policy for fee waivers which are not public interest fee waivers as determined by City Administrator
- Section added to formalize best practices and methodology to set overhead for calculation of employee time spent responding to public records requests now that City Code 5.48.030 has been repealed
- Section added to ensure a minimum regular cadence for fee review
- Formalized process for making public records request form available to the public
- Updated Public Records Fee Schedule to remove obsolete fees and reference to repealed City Code 5.48.030 and instead state the utilized overhead rate, bringing the fee schedule into alignment with the updated rule
- Updated the Uniform Public Records Request Form to bring into alignment with changes in the rule
- Added supplemental document describing the methodology used in calculating the overhead rate for staff time as per the updated rule
ARA-8.04 - Transferring Physical Records to the Portland Archives & Records Center
- Renamed “Transferring Physical Records to the Portland Archives & Records Center”
- Updated links to resources for preparing records for transfer
- Added clarifying language for identifying records for transfer
- Defined “inactive records”
ARA-8.05 - City Agency Access to Physical Records Stored at the Portland Archives & Records Center
- Renamed “City Agency Access to Physical Records Stored at the Portland Archives & Records Center”
- Revised policies to reflect current practice in Archives & Records Management Division for onsite access to records, records circulation to City agencies, and photocopying and scanning services
- Added policy for permanently withdrawing agency-owned records from PARC
ARA-8.06 - Public Access to Physical Records Stored at the Portland Archives & Records Center
- Renamed “Public Access to Physical Records Stored at the Portland Archives & Records Center”
- Revised policies to reflect current practice in Archives & Records Management Division for onsite access to records and photocopying and scanning services
ARA-8.07 - Standards for Storing Physical City Records
- Renamed “Standards for Storing Physical City Records”
- Revised policies and responsibilities to reflect current practice and requirements for storing City records
- Updated policy for records 25 years and older to be transferred to the historical collections
ARA-8.08 - Micrographic and Digital Conversion
- Renamed rule from “Microfilm” to “Micrographic and Digital Conversion” to reflect updated content of rule
- Removed bulk of previous rule that was obsolete and no longer required under State law as microfilm has been superseded by other imaging technologies
- Incorporated policy from previous rule ARA-8.13, combining policy for transferring records to include both micrographic and digital formats
- Added clarifying language for reasons agencies might transfer records to new formats
- Minor changes to reflect changes in technology impacting digital imaging conversion
- Changed time periods for categories of records and how they may be converted, and which copies may be considered the record copy under State law in alignment with OAR 166-017
ARA-8.09 - Destruction of Records
- Added policy and responsibilities for the destruction of electronic records stored in the City Enterprise Electronic Records Management System (Content Manager) and electronic records stored on City network drives, City-owned applications, computer hard drives or external media, and in third-party systems
ARA-8.10 - Preparing City Record Retention Schedules
- Updated key City staff required for retention schedule update process as necessitated by City restructuring
- Updated staff who must authorize an updated retention schedule under new City structure to include City Administrator or designees, remove Director of Audit Services, and add City Archivist
ARA-8.11 - Identification of Agency Vital Records
- Renamed “Identification of Agency Vital Records”
- No additional substantive changes
ARA-8.12 - Management, Preservation, and Storage of Electronic Records
- Renamed “Management, Preservation, and Storage of Electronic Records” to omit “Electronic Mail Correspondence (E-Mail)” as it is included in the category of “Electronic Records” and is therefore redundant
- Added clarifying language for determining what is transitory information
- Updated definition of electronic correspondence to include messaging apps and text messages
- Expanded policy for e-mail to include other electronic messages
- Expanded description of digital storage locations to include cloud-based storage
- Updated references to current Oregon Administrative Rules
- Revised description of electronic records storage options to reflect current practice and requirements for storing electronic City records
- Added requirement for compliance with federal Americans with Disabilities Act Title II Web and Mobile Application Accessibility Rule
- Updated requirements for electronic records management systems and record copy electronic records to align with OAR-166-017-045 and State order Oregon Temporary Administrative Order OSA 1-2025
ARA-8.14 - Scanning Standards for Agency Records
- Renamed “Scanning Standards for Agency Records”
- Added clarifying language for using accessibility features in converted digital formats
- Added standards for additional photographic formats
- Added requirement for compliance with federal Americans with Disabilities Act Title II Web and Mobile Application Accessibility Rule
- Aligned required formats with requirements of current State law in OAR-166-017-045 and State order Oregon Temporary Administrative Order OSA 1-2025
Adoption Memo
Read the adoption memo from City Auditor Simone Rede:
Authority
Portland City Charter Section 2-506(a) authorizes the City Auditor to establish rules for the Office of the Auditor. City Charter Section 2-506(b) requires the City Auditor to establish human resources rules and policies for the Office of the Auditor that are consistent with City human resource rules and policies, except where the Auditor determines in writing that a City human resources rule or policy impairs the Auditor’s independence or duties.
Questions
Please direct questions to auditorsoffice@portlandoregon.gov