Government Operations Committee Meeting - August 3, 2026
Government Operations Committee Meeting - August 3, 2026
The Government Operations Committee met on August 3, 2026, at 4:00 PM. The agenda included approval of prior minutes, two workshop presentations (University of Baltimore Center for AI Learning and Community-Engaged Innovation; OpenGov and Priority-Based Budgeting), and discussion of proposed charter amendments. No public comment was offered.
Consent Calendar
- The committee approved minutes from nine prior meetings: January 12, February 9, February 23, March 2, March 9, March 23, April 6, June 22, and July 6, 2026. The motion carried with one abstention.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No public comments were made.
Discussion Items
- Presentation from University of Baltimore Center for AI Learning and Community-Engaged Innovation – Dr. Jessica Sansbury, founding director, presented on AI literacy and community engagement. She outlined six AI personas (civic champion, student superuser, adaptive achiever, prudent professor, hometown hero, labor guardian) and emphasized that AI adoption is a human challenge requiring trust, inclusion, and shared ownership. She noted that AI is already impacting sectors like education, workforce, and government, and recommended a human-centered approach: start with the problem, not the technology. She described the "AI Navigators" model and a living ecosystem hub for community input. Committee members asked about formal training programs and expressed interest in connecting AI readiness to the city’s strategic goals.
- Presentation on OpenGov and Priority-Based Budgeting – Lacey Gordon (Budget Manager) and Erica Robrahl (Senior Advisor for Opportunity Innovation) presented a three-phase framework to evolve the city’s budget process: priority-based budgeting, program-based budgeting, and performance-based budgeting, all supported by OpenGov. They introduced the "Spark Tool," an interactive exercise where each council member assigns 100 points to strategic goals and objectives to create a weighted aggregate priority list. They highlighted examples: a street paving program (aggregating $12.9 million across departments) and a food and nutrition program (city contributed $295,000 of $1.9 million total, 75% grant-funded). The timeline calls for the council to receive the Spark survey in September 2026, with results presented in October 2026. Committee members discussed the need for clear KPIs, transparency, and the importance of analyzing data, not just publishing it. Lacey Gordon noted that she will continue to build the program inventory and that the performance-based module may require additional funding.
- Old Business: Proposed Charter Amendments List – The committee reviewed a list of charter amendment topics compiled by staff, including vacancies and open primaries. They discussed a process for moving items forward: an initial conversation with research, followed by a follow-up discussion to determine consensus, then bullet-point recommendations to the full council. The schedule for these items will be presented at the next committee meeting.
Key Outcomes
- Consent calendar approved: Minutes from nine meetings were approved with one abstention.
- OpenGov and Priority-Based Budgeting framework endorsed: The committee expressed support for the presented framework and timeline. The Spark tool survey will be distributed to council members in September 2026, with aggregated results to inform the mayor’s budget preparation. The budget process will adopt a phased approach: priority setting in fall 2026, program inventory development throughout the fiscal year, and performance KPI dashboards as the OpenGov module is fully implemented.
- Charter amendment process agreed: The committee agreed to use a two-step process (initial information gathering, then consensus discussion) for each amendment topic, with bullet-point recommendations flowing to full council. The schedule will be finalized at the next meeting.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon. Welcome to the August third meeting of the Government Operations Committee. We will begin with the Pledge of Allegiance. Committee members, I'm going to entertain this in one motion. We have we've been playing catch up thanks to the tireless work of Ms. Ambush, and we are so grateful to make sure that we have a record of our meetings and what we said and what we want to do and all that good stuff. So we have minutes from January twelfth, February 9th, February 23rd, March 2nd, March 9th, March 23rd, April 6th, June 22nd, and July 6th. I'll entertain a motion to approve. Motion to approve. That's two. Opposed, abstaining with one abstention. Okay, so today we have uh we actually have quite a busy agenda. Uh, but we're gonna begin first with a presentation from the University of Baltimore Center for AI Learning and Community Engaged Innovation. So you'll be up first if you're ready, or we can if you're if you want a moment, we can switch the agenda around. We have some guests visiting. So are you are you good to go? Okay, great. So it's pretty informal. You can just introduce yourself. Um you'll know that the uh it's on if it has a little red dot. There you go. Yeah. Hi, everyone. Thank you for having me. I'm Dr. Jessica Sansbury from the University of Baltimore. I am the founding director for the Center for AI Learning and Community Engaged Innovation. Okay. So I want to take a quick uh show of hands for the people in the room. Uh how many view AI in a positive light? Anyone? Okay. Good. Anyone view AI in a negative light? Okay. And how many people need more information before making a decision? Okay, good. So you're all in the right place. And this is why shared understanding matters. Because communities are experiencing AI very differently. Some are seeing it as opportunity, some are seeing it as uncertainty, and some are feeling entirely left out of the conversation altogether. So this tells us that it's not just a technology conversation, it's a human conversation. And it is shaped by trust and access, lived experiences, community identity, and not everyone has to agree in order to have this conversation. So AI is already here, as you can see from the slides. It's impacting all of our sectors. It is not something that Frederick really needs to prepare for because it's currently affecting how people work, learn, search for information, run businesses, and interact with organizations and institutions. So it's impacting us in education, workforce, government, community, transit, small businesses, you name it, AI is already here. So the real question for the local government is not whether or when it arrives, but whether our communities are prepared to shape what comes next. I want to take a brief moment to make sure that we're all on the same page and understanding that AI is more than just Chat GPT. When we talk about AI, we talk about artificial intelligence in general.
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