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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Economic Development & Innovation Committee Hearing on AI Strategy - September 15, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, September 15, 2026

BodyToledo, Ohio

SessionCity Council

DateTuesday, September 15, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:11:55

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

2:37

Mine's right.

2:42

So January 20th thing are back and see what we want for this public.

3:27

Good afternoon.

3:28

I'd like to call to order this meeting of the economic development and innovation committee.

3:34

Tuesday, September 15th, 2026.

3:36

Clerk, will you please call the role?

3:38

Meldon.

3:39

Here.

3:40

McPherson.

3:41

Here.

3:42

Driscoll.

3:43

Hobbs.

3:45

Jones.

3:47

Martinez.

3:48

Present.

3:49

Morris.

3:50

Here.

3:50

Surround two.

3:52

For present.

3:54

Okay.

3:55

Uh before as we get into this uh committee hearing economic development and innovation, if if everyone remembers kind of a new um constitution of this committee and its focus areas.

4:10

Um I'm excited to be having this conversation.

4:12

I was just asking um Mackenzie, my legislative aid, when we as a as a council passed the resolution to move forward on a responsible AI framework, um plan.

4:26

And it was in January.

4:28

And so here we are.

4:30

Um still feels like summer.

4:32

And so I'm gonna take it as such.

4:34

I mean, falls on what next week.

4:36

So yes.

4:36

Still in in summer to review kind of where we are and and what is happening.

4:41

Um I made the comment perhaps last week that um I don't know that anything really maybe proves how needed this conversation is um other than thinking about how much has changed in that time period.

5:00

You think about how much the conversation around AI has changed even since January.

5:07

Um it just struck me that in a few short months different things pop up in the society's, you know, not uh, you know, core focus area.

5:20

We can get so enamored with things, and this work hopefully is gonna help us guide our city, our employees, our departments, and our partnerships, uh those that we work with uh in a meaningful way.

5:33

So I want to kick it over to um direct what should I what is your title, please?

5:42

Chief information officer.

5:43

Chief Information Officer Bennett.

5:46

Um I know you have an update uh in general about IT, and that'll be exciting to hear, and then we'll get into some of the AI work.

5:54

My colleague already has your light on.

5:55

That's how excited we are to be here.

5:57

Councilwoman Morris, how can I help you?

5:59

Well, you know what was really interesting is I was listening to the BBC last week, and one of the uh quotes that really struck me was saying that they were saying that AI has the ability to um end civilization in within the next 10 years.

6:17

And you know, part of me was thinking, okay, hi hyperbole, you know, is what are we talking about?

6:23

And so I actually put it on my social media and I started talking to other people uh where I could, and um, you know, it's just a really uh evolving interesting topic, and so I'm really thankful for um Chair Meldon for bringing this forward and for you all to work on this because this is really important.

6:46

It's important for us, it's important for humanity, uh apparently.

6:51

So uh there's a lot of things that we need with guardrails uh with this technology.

6:57

Some uh feel that uh as long as we have a capable president, we'll be fine.

7:03

Uh but um capable is the key word, sorry, and so I'm excited to hear what you have to present.

7:11

But I wanted to preface um this because it really does have a lot of ramifications, even in my other profession.

7:19

Uh, we're talking a lot about how this could replace workers.

7:23

Um the question is how reliable is it?

7:26

Uh and so forth.

7:27

So thank you so much for coming in and talking to us today.

7:31

Thank you, Chair.

7:33

Thank you.

7:33

It's certainly in the news, and uh, I can tell you that in our conversations, I have the utmost confidence that um Chief Bennett here is gonna be able to really guide us through some of these uh nuances and some of the um different things that come up.

7:48

So without any more comment from me, I'll kick it over to you.

7:51

Do go through the full presentation, and then I'll keep track of questions and we'll go through them in order.

7:56

Look at the question.

7:57

Thank you very much.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Technology and Innovation█████████████████████████████████████████████70%

Public Safety████6%

Data Governance████6%

Workforce Development███5%

Public Engagement███5%

Fiscal Sustainability███4%

Procedural█2%

Personnel Matters█2%

Summary of Proceedings

Economic Development & Innovation Committee Hearing on AI Strategy

The City of Toledo's Economic Development & Innovation Committee met on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at 4:00 PM in City Council Chambers to discuss the city's evolving AI strategy, including workforce technology updates, data governance, and the responsible use of artificial intelligence. The meeting was led by committee members and featured a detailed presentation from the city's IT and HR leadership.

Public Comments & Testimony

One member of the public spoke, expressing frustration that workers and their representatives are often brought in "for the money" but not included in the decision-making process. The speaker emphasized the need for the public and labor to be part of the conversation around technology changes.

Discussion Items

Employee Portal & Time/Pay System: The administration provided an update on the forthcoming employee portal, noting that employees will gain access to self-service features, including direct deposit updates. The time and pay system will launch slightly before the portal to allow IT, HR, and payroll teams to manage the go-live process effectively.
CityWorks Upgrade: The administration reported on the upgrade to the CityWorks environment, transitioning users to 'CityWorks Respond,' which will replace the current 'CityWorks Office Companion.' This on-premise upgrade is intended to provide a smooth transition rather than forcing a direct move to the cloud.
Network Optimization & Phone Systems: Officials reported on the ongoing network optimization project. They are disconnecting unused cell phone lines (e.g., devices with 90 days of inactivity) and evaluating the use of soft phones to save costs. The administration noted that replacing the phone system would be a significant expense and that they would consult department heads before making decisions.
AI Policy Framework: The administration walked the committee through the new administrative AI policy. Key components include restrictions on AI agents that take autonomous action, a section for exceptions (which would require approval from the Mayor's office and the Law Department), and a requirement for vendors to disclose AI use in their security policies.
Data Governance Concerns: A council member expressed concern about the role of the Clerk of Council in data governance, particularly regarding historical physical records and how the policy treats data owners and stewards. The council member asked whether data definitions should include both digital and analog formats. The administration acknowledged the issue and agreed it was an important topic for future consideration.
Judicial and Court Data: The discussion briefly touched on whether the AI policy applies to the court system, specifically regarding jury candidate screening. It was noted that courts under the city's purview would not be permitted to use AI for this purpose without an exception.
Training & Development: The administration outlined a two-way approach to employee development, preparing employees for changing job roles through partnerships with external resources, including JobsOhio and the University of Toledo. A council member praised the strategy, comparing the impact of AI to previous technological shifts such as the tractor, and stressed the importance of preparing employees for new-economy jobs.
Human Interaction in Government: A council member emphasized that regardless of technology, maintaining human interaction is critical, especially in government, citing feedback from a resident who wanted to feel heard.

Key Outcomes

The committee received the AI strategy update and provided direction to continue refining the administrative policy.
The administration will work with council members to address data governance, records retention, and the role of the Clerk of Council.
A future committee hearing will be scheduled to continue the discussion, with notice to be provided by the committee chair.

The meeting adjourned without any formal votes or resolutions.

Meeting Transcript

Mine's right. So January 20th thing are back and see what we want for this public. Good afternoon. I'd like to call to order this meeting of the economic development and innovation committee. Tuesday, September 15th, 2026. Clerk, will you please call the role? Meldon. Here. McPherson. Here. Driscoll. Hobbs. Jones. Martinez. Present. Morris. Here. Surround two. For present. Okay. Uh before as we get into this uh committee hearing economic development and innovation, if if everyone remembers kind of a new um constitution of this committee and its focus areas. Um I'm excited to be having this conversation. I was just asking um Mackenzie, my legislative aid, when we as a as a council passed the resolution to move forward on a responsible AI framework, um plan. And it was in January. And so here we are. Um still feels like summer. And so I'm gonna take it as such. I mean, falls on what next week. So yes. Still in in summer to review kind of where we are and and what is happening. Um I made the comment perhaps last week that um I don't know that anything really maybe proves how needed this conversation is um other than thinking about how much has changed in that time period. You think about how much the conversation around AI has changed even since January. Um it just struck me that in a few short months different things pop up in the society's, you know, not uh, you know, core focus area. We can get so enamored with things, and this work hopefully is gonna help us guide our city, our employees, our departments, and our partnerships, uh those that we work with uh in a meaningful way. So I want to kick it over to um direct what should I what is your title, please? Chief information officer. Chief Information Officer Bennett. Um I know you have an update uh in general about IT, and that'll be exciting to hear, and then we'll get into some of the AI work. My colleague already has your light on. That's how excited we are to be here. Councilwoman Morris, how can I help you? Well, you know what was really interesting is I was listening to the BBC last week, and one of the uh quotes that really struck me was saying that they were saying that AI has the ability to um end civilization in within the next 10 years. And you know, part of me was thinking, okay, hi hyperbole, you know, is what are we talking about? And so I actually put it on my social media and I started talking to other people uh where I could, and um, you know, it's just a really uh evolving interesting topic, and so I'm really thankful for um Chair Meldon for bringing this forward and for you all to work on this because this is really important. It's important for us, it's important for humanity, uh apparently. So uh there's a lot of things that we need with guardrails uh with this technology. Some uh feel that uh as long as we have a capable president, we'll be fine. Uh but um capable is the key word, sorry, and so I'm excited to hear what you have to present. But I wanted to preface um this because it really does have a lot of ramifications, even in my other profession. Uh, we're talking a lot about how this could replace workers.

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