KINGMAN – Mohave County’s new records manager is working toward a paper-less, streamlined document storage.
Robert Ballard, of Kingman, has been with the Mohave County Recorder’s Office for 20 years, most recently as microfilm records supervisor. County Recorder Carol Meier has promoted Ballard to be the new records manager.
“The former records manager passed away and his two assistants retired in recent months,” she said. “Robert is basically stepping into his position with no current employees in place.”
The county is currently seeking a microfilm records technician to assist Ballard. Interested individuals should go to the Mohave County website (www.co.mohave.az.us), select “quick links” and then “employment” for information on applying for that position.
Ballard said his goal is to keep “Mohave County in compliance with state-mandated retention schedules while working toward a paperless government.”
There are certainly environmental reasons to cut back on the use of paper, but there are also many cost savings to government agencies, and taxpayers, by going digital.
“When you go paperless, you still have to purchase scanners and software,” Ballard said, “but those are usually one-time fees. Payments for storage facilities are never-ending, and those costs grow as the amount of paper being stored grows. The previous records manager started with the laserfiche document management software that we are working with.”
Some records are mandated to be stored on archives for more than 500 years “and microfilm is the only format that can do that,” he said. “There are other areas, such as our Finance and Development Services departments that have different types of documents that might have to be kept for three, five or seven years. Instead of storing those documents on paper, they could be scanned into digital form. Then, every few years, they can be checked as to what our state retention schedule allows to be destroyed.”
“Our Human Resources Department has to keep personnel files for 30 years,” Meier said. “Right now, HR has a storage facility at the (Kingman) airport that is just housing documents on former employees.”
Those documents can be scanned and the storage costs eliminated, she said.
“A warehouse full of paper is just a sitting liability,” Ballard said. “That information could be lost due to fire, flood or pests. It would be safeguarded better on digital storage.”
Ballard has started a preliminary inventory with all county departments just to see exactly what is being stored and where.
“I’m seeking assistance from throughout all county departments in gathering that information,” he said, “which I will share with Arizona Library Archives and Public Records. I am the state liaison and will channel all information and documentation through to that agency.”
“We are also getting ready for e-recording,” Meier said. “That’s where clients can just email us their documents and we can record them. That will save mailing and paper copying costs. Title companies won’t have to use FedEx or UPS. They will just email us. We are working through the process with a software company and hope to start e-recording soon.”
The new high-tech processes will save both clients and government agencies money, Ballard said. And it simplifies the process as documents will also be able to be “indexed automatically.”
Although Ballard has spent 20 years with the Recorder’s Office, he is continuing his education in the field.
“I just came back from a laserfiche class,” he said. “I am also a member of the Association of Records Managers and Administrators.” With the changes in technology, “the learning process is continuous.”
Ballard, an avid hunter and outdoorsman, has lived in Kingman for more than 25 years. He has been married for 21 years to Marilyn, who works in the County Assessor’s Office. The couple has one daughter, Michelle, who is in her junior year at the University of Arizona in Tucson.
“We love it here,” he said. “The hiking, hunting, fishing and outdoor lifestyle is beyond compare. Most of all, I enjoy being with family and friends and watching my daughter grow into a responsible adult.”
As for his career with Mohave County, Ballard and the entire County Recorder’s Office are fully engaged in utilizing today’s technology for a cleaner, greener way to safely store the public’s documents, he said. “And through the elimination of old-time bulk storage of paper documents, we can also save money.”
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