Sandoval plan would close state program for records

CARSON CITY -- A state program that preserves records for state and local governments and other documents is slated to be shut down in July under Gov. Brian Sandoval's budget plan, a Nevada legislative panel was told Wednesday.

The Nevada State Library and Archives' Imaging and Preservation Services is one of the casualties of Sandoval's plan, which would dismantle the Department of Cultural Affairs and fold its functions under other agencies.

Director Michael Fischer, whose job would be eliminated, said he thinks most of the department's divisions will remain "with generally improved funding for the individual missions."

Imaging and Preservation Services is provided by the Nevada State Library and Archives but has been losing money for several years, Fischer said.

"It is a tremendous asset to the state, but it has been financially troubled since before I became director four years ago," he told a hearing of the Assembly Ways and Means and Senate Finance committees.

He said the program survived in recent years because of a push to encourage some state agencies and local governments to use the service.

But Fischer said budget cuts have taken a toll on operating revenue and depleted reserves, and he expressed concern about preserving documents such as government contracts and payroll records.

"I believe proper record keeping is the state's best protection in litigation and other administrative areas," he said.

He suggested that if all agencies followed record retention policies, costs could be spread statewide as an assessment and would make the service cost-effective.

Sandoval's budget calls for merging museums and the Nevada Arts Council under the Nevada Commission on Tourism. Historic preservation would be assumed by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

The Nevada State Library and Archives would fall under the Department of Administration.