Fenton committee moves forward with ArchiveSocial and Laserfiche updates, seeks records-preservation grant

City clerk and records staff told the City of Fenton committee Dec. 12 that upgrades to social-media archiving and document-management systems are needed to comply with open-records and retention requirements.

Staff proposed ArchiveSocial (offered through CivicPlus) for automated, API-based capture of social media posts, edits and deletions so the city can comply with Sunshine and record-retention rules. Vendor representative Sean explained the platform provides 24/7 real-time capture and searchable archives; legal counsel said retaining social-media records preserves proof in potential First Amendment or records disputes. The committee voted to forward the ArchiveSocial agreement to the full board.

Staff also described an opportunity to migrate the city's Laserfiche document-management system to a municipal site license through ICC CDS, increasing users and storage (site license for municipalities under 10,000 population). City staff said the upgrade would support ongoing scanning and conversion projects, and the committee approved pursuing the vendor option.

Finally, the committee authorized staff to apply for a 2026 local records-preservation grant (up to $20,000, no match) to support continued conversion of audits and budgets into Laserfiche.