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Council signals intent to develop AI policy; public comments urge better bus-stop accessibility
Summary
Vice Mayor and city manager said the city will develop formal AI use policy and staff training; public commenter raised concerns about bus-stop access for people with mobility impairments and urged better outreach.
During "other matters" on June 24 Harrisonburg City Councilmembers discussed the need for a formal city policy on artificial intelligence and training for staff, and a member of the public urged improved accessibility at bus stops for people with mobility impairments.
Vice Mayor Fleming described recent conferences on data centers and GovTech and said the National League of Cities will roll out an "AI in Action" program; Fleming recommended the city develop an AI policy covering privacy, security, transparency and staff use, and sought public input. City Manager Banks said staff already have been using AI tools in some contexts and will bring a report and recommended policy to council, including definitions, prohibitions for certain LLM uses, security protections and staff training.
In public comment, a resident raised an accessibility complaint: a person who uses a wheelchair could not board a bus because the stop is on grass without adequate hard-surface boarding, and the resident asked the city to make bus stops safer and to improve outreach to riders about routes and stops. Council members and staff acknowledged the concern and the city manager noted city facilities are open as cooling centers amid high heat; staff follow up on accessibility complaints through transportation staff.
The vice mayor and council also discussed state and federal funding shifts affecting stormwater and HUD grants and said those reductions could affect local projects; those remarks were part of councilmembers' regular reports.
