REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL DATE: December 6, 2018 FROM: YVONNE SPENCE, City Clerk Office of the City Clerk SUBJECT ..Title ***RESOLUTION - Adopting a City policy regarding electronic signatures (Subject to Mayor's veto) ..Body RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that the Council adopt the attached Resolution regarding electronic signatures EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Federal and state regulations have provided sufficient guidelines to allow for the implementation of electronic content, electronic transactions and electronic signatures. Technology has developed to a level of sophistication to enable secure and verifiable electronic signatures. This policy will authorize the use of the electronic signatures on the City of Fresno documents while allowing the city to strike a balance between flexibility and the need for signature security and integrity. BACKGROUND The use of electronic signatures on legally binding documents have become increasingly prevalent in the private sector, but has yet to find widespread adoption by public entities. The benefits of electronic signatures are simple and numerous; they cut down on the paper, time and cost associated with transmitting and approving physical documents, and they can offer an easily accessible audit trail of the modification, editing, and approval/signature of documents. ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines section 15378, this Resolution adopting an electronic signature policy is not a project for the purposes of CEQA. LOCAL PREFERENCE Local preference was not considered because this resolution does not include a bid or award of a construction or service contract. FISCAL IMPACT Adopting this policy will not have any impact on the General Fund. Attachment(s): Resolution Exhibit A