Staff can surface the work, but leaders still have to set the direction. Before the city can finalize an AI policy package, executives need to settle scope, risk posture, approval authority, public expectations, and who owns updates after launch.
Executive leadership should decide what the city is trying to do with AI, what is out of bounds, how much risk the city is willing to accept, who can approve different kinds of use, what residents should expect, and who owns updates after launch. Staff can turn those decisions into working materials, but leadership needs to set them early so the repo can help carry the work forward.
Decide which AI uses, departments, or service areas matter first so staff are not building around a moving target. A city does not need to solve everything at once, but it does need to say what matters now.
See what the city needs firstDecide what is off limits, what requires extra review, and how much risk the city is willing to carry. This is where leaders decide how strict or flexible the policy should be.
Open rules and reviewName who can approve different categories of use, who can pause or escalate them, and what still needs legal, procurement, departmental, or executive sign-off before launch.
See the review pathDecide what the city wants residents, council, and frontline staff to understand about AI use. If the leadership team cannot explain the direction simply, the draft will not hold up publicly.
Open public explanationKey consideration
Strategic leadership is not just first approval. The city still has to name who sponsors the work, who owns updates, and what triggers a new review when tools, vendors, or use cases change later.
See the full program packageThe repo should help the city turn these executive choices into working drafts, decision templates, and review materials. Once the sponsor, scope, limits, and approval path are clear enough to act on, stop circling the issue and move into the working files.
These checks keep the city from calling the direction clear when it is still mostly implied.
The best use of this page is to get the executive questions onto the table. The best next step is to use the repo to turn those decisions into working materials. If your city still cannot settle the sponsor, scope, or authority after that, get help at the end of the process.