Clinton council adopts AI policy requiring human final decisions

The Clinton City Council voted unanimously to adopt a municipal artificial intelligence policy intended to comply with Act 848 of 2025. The resolution requires that final decision-making for city business remain with a human official and directs staff to circulate the policy to employees.

A staff member explaining the measure told the council the law “requires a policy and final decision making must come from a human not AI,” and said the policy largely reflects a Municipal League model recommended to local governments. Councilmembers recorded unanimous votes in favor when the mayor called the roll.

The measure was presented by staff as a broadly applicable governance policy rather than a technology-implementation item; the presenter said the rule is intended to prevent automated systems from replacing human judgment in policy and personnel decisions. The council read the resolution by title and then voted to adopt it.

The resolution was adopted with recorded “yes” votes from Councilmember Lynch, Councilmember Pistol, Councilmember Ward and Councilmember Williams. The council did not attach an immediate implementation timetable in the meeting but directed that the policy be circulated to city employees and be incorporated into administrative guidance.

Next steps include internal distribution and staff training on the policy’s requirements; the presenter said the city will ensure operational procedures reflect the requirement that human officials retain final authority over decisions.