Procedure to Prevent Spending of Funds that are not Available     

With regard to negative salary and fringe budget nodes, a process is being instated to ensure that budget nodes remain positive throughout the fiscal year.  The new protocol will be that budget journals are created in accompaniment with any PRFs that affect salary and fringe budgets.  This process will prevent salary and fringe nodes from operating with negative budget balances.

Similarly budget journals will be processed on a regular basis to ensure that expenses are aligned with the budget node.

Also, please note that due to the cyclical revenue structure of student fees, at times (particularly in the Fall semester) the fund equity will be negative.  This occurs due to the practice of encumbering certain annualized expenses on September 1st, mainly salaries.  In heavy salary laden cost centers, the revenues do not accumulate in sufficient amounts to fund the full encumbrances until the Spring or Summer semesters. Positive budget balances will be maintained in those cost centers to ensure that each cost center will close the fiscal year with positive fund equity, once all revenues are collected. 

Records Retention

All documents and back-up that go through Accounts Payable, General Accounting, HR or Payroll are retained by UH Central according to the appropriate timelines. Departmental copies are considered "convenience copies" and should be shredded after use, not stored.

Other documents that are still required to be retained but are inactive can be transferred to UH's permanent storage facility. Please consider the following procedures for transferring inactive records to Records Retention:

1) IF YOUR BOXES SHAKE, RATTLE OR ROLL, THEY WLL NOT BE STORED. NO PLASTIC BINDERS OR METAL OBJECTS. PAPER DOCUMENTS ONLY! The reason for this is that when the retention timeline expires, the entire box will be thrown into an industrial grade shredder. Having plastic or metal in the boxes will damage the shredding machine.

2) Documents to be stored must be in file storage boxes, which can be ordered.

3) The retention periods apply to Article 5439a, V.A.T.S. Records should not be kept any longer than necessary. The University of Houston System has a Certified and Approved State of Texas Records Retention Schedule that all campuses are to follow.

4) Each box to be transferred for storage has to be on a transfer form.

5) Each transfer form must outline the contents in the box it represents. The latest fiscal year enclosed must also appear. A copy of the box transfer must be taped on the end of each box according to the sample attached. This is done prior to sending to Records Retention. Please use the brown or clear tape. NO SCOTCH TAPE!

6) If the transferring department wishes to use their own reference number, it should be shown in the "Department I.D.#" space.

7) Records Retention will furnish a reference number and location for each box.

8) Make one original and two copies. Records gets the original, one copy goes on the end of the box and the other copy the department keeps until Records Retention sends a copy back showing the Records Retention reference number and location. The transferring department must use that number when requesting access to their files. If you need to look at your boxes, please call x31319 and schedule a time to go view your records.

9) The transferring department must do a Physical Plant work order if you want them to move your boxes. The department can also bring their boxes themselves. Please call first.

These procedures are the same for filming documents. The boxes should be in order according to the way the department wants them filmed. Record Retention does not make adjustments to your boxes. ALL STAPLES AND PAPER CLIPS MUST BE REMOVED!

Should you have any questions don't hesitate to call Mary Thompson at (713) 743-1319.