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Andover adopts AI policy and approves Gov AI subscription
Summary
The council adopted a city employee AI policy to be added to the employee handbook (section 14.11) and approved a Gov AI subscription for up to $19,250 for this year, with a $16,500 annual rate quoted for 2026 and a four-year price guarantee if renewed; staff will monitor metrics under the purchasing policy.
The Andover City Council voted unanimously to adopt a citywide AI policy and to approve a subscription to Gov AI as the city's designated AI tool for employee use.
Neil, who presented the policy on behalf of the city AI team, said the policy was developed over six months and revised after a council workshop. "At this time, I would like to request acceptance of the policy," he told the council. The council approved incorporating the policy into the employee handbook as section 14.11.
Neil described Gov AI as "tailored specifically for the public sector and for government use," noting features intended to protect privacy and data security: automatic redaction of PII if accidentally input and a closed ecosystem that does not feed inputs back into model training. "It just stays in house," he said.
Neil reported the procurement cost as $19,250 for the remainder of the current year, split into two payments, and said the annual cost for 2026 would be $16,500; he added the 16,500 rate could be locked for four years if the city chooses to renew. Under the city's purchasing policy, Neil said the contract amount is within staff approval thresholds when included in the budget; staff will report usage metrics and may renegotiate if adoption is lower than expected.
A council motion to adopt the policy and a motion to approve the Gov AI subscription each passed unanimously (6-0).
