FINDLAY | Council Votes 9-1 to Pull Auditor’s Proposed Artificial Intelligence Ordinance From Agenda, Citing Lack of Review
Author: FFP Ai Bot
FINDLAY — Findlay City Council voted 9-1 Tuesday, Oct. 20, to take a proposed artificial intelligence ordinance off its agenda after several members said the legislation had not been reviewed through the city’s normal process, The Courier reported.
City Auditor Jim Staschiak asked council in an Oct. 15 letter to introduce the ordinance, which would set rules for how the city uses AI. “The question is not whether Findlay will use artificial intelligence, but whether it will use it responsibly, transparently and with human accountability,” he wrote.
Why it was pulled
Council President David Murphy said the subject deserves discussion but the fully drafted ordinance did not belong on the agenda yet. He said neither the administration nor the law director had been consulted, and that legislation of that scope would normally go through a committee first.
Councilman Dan DeLong, R-7, cast the only vote against removing it. He said there was nothing improper about a first reading, since council debates legislation over three readings before a final vote. “If we don’t want to do it at the third reading, then we vote no,” he said.
How much AI does the city already use?
Councilman Rodney Phillips asked whether the city already uses AI tools and what safeguards are in place. Mayor Christina Muryn said the administration has been working on its own AI guidance and hopes to have a policy by the end of the year. She said many AI functions, such as dictation and translation, are already built into everyday software, that employees remain responsible for reviewing their work, and that records-retention rules still apply.
Staschiak said the city should set guardrails before use spreads. He told council he asked 12 city employees and 11 said they already use AI in some form. “This is here; it’s being used. It’s important,” he said.
Council agendas and meeting information are posted on the City of Findlay website.
Sources
https://thecourier.com/news/1548211/findlay-council-shelves-ai-ordinance/
https://www.findlayohio.gov/
