At the October 6, 2025 Voting Meeting of the Borough of Dormont, Borough Council voted to unanimously approve the Artificial Intelligence Use Policy for the Borough of Dormont. A downloadable copy of the policy is available at the end of this page.
Effective date: October 7, 2025
Authority: The provisions of this policy are consistent with Pennsylvania law, including but not limited to the Right-to-Know Law, and the policies established by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Guidelines for Responsible AI Implementation
Introduction
This policy governs the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, including generative AI, by departments, employees, contractors, and partners of the Borough of Dormont involved in the procurement, development, deployment, management, or use of AI technologies (collectively referred to as “Personnel”). The Borough of Dormont recognizes the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in enhancing public services, improving operational efficiency and resident satisfaction, and fostering innovation. According to IBM, Artificial Intelligence is “technology that enables computers and machines to simulate human learning, comprehension, problem solving, decision making, creativity and autonomy.”1
To ensure both the responsible and ethical use of AI technologies, this policy sets forth comprehensive guidelines and principles that govern the deployment and management of AI tools and systems within the Borough. The goal of the policy is to ensure that AI applications align with the highest legal and ethical standards, uphold public trust, and enhance the quality of services provided to the residents of Dormont.
Objectives
• To leverage AI technologies to enhance the quality and efficiency of public services.
• To ensure the ethical, transparent, and accountable use of AI in all Borough operations, both internally and externally.
• To protect the privacy and rights of residents, business owners, and other key stakeholders.
• To ensure AI does not become a technology that replaces jobs but instead helps Personnel perform their jobs more effectively and efficiently.
• To foster public trust and confidence in AI-driven initiatives.
Scope
This policy applies to all Personnel of the Borough of Dormont involved in the procurement, development, deployment, management, or use of AI technologies.
Guiding Principles
Transparency & Public Communications
The Borough of Dormont is committed to transparency in how it uses AI. Information about AI systems, their purposes, functions, and decision-making processes will be openly communicated to the public during the time of use. Key items to ensure transparency include:
Documentation: Maintain records of AI systems used, decision-making processes, and data sources to facilitate understanding and accountability. A comprehensive record should endeavor to contain the following items:
• System Information: Name, purpose, vendor (if external), version, and date of implementation.
• Decision-Making Processes: Description of how the AI system functions, including the type of model (e.g., predictive, generative), decision logic, and any human-in-the-loop review points.
• Data Sources: Clear identification of all datasets used for training, validation, and operation, including data provenance, quality checks, and update frequency.
• Performance Metrics: Regularly updated measures of accuracy, bias, error rates, and other relevant performance indicators.
• Risk and Impact Assessments: Documentation of potential risks (ethical, legal, operational) and mitigation strategies.
• Access and Accountability: Record of staff responsible for system oversight, use, and maintenance, as well as access controls.
• Change Logs: A log of updates, retraining events, parameter changes, or vendor-provided patches.
• Public Transparency: Where appropriate, a plain-language summary for community members explaining how and why the system is used.
Explainability: Ensure that AI-driven uses can be interpreted and explained in clear, non-technical language to Personnel and the public.
Disclosure: Inform residents when AI systems are being used in interactions that affect them, specifying the nature and purpose of such systems. Keep AI-related information easy to access for residents on the website and in other instances of public communications.
Accessibility: Ensure the use of AI for assistance in public communications follows other Borough protocols for reading level and other accessibility requirements.
Community Involvement: The Borough of Dormont will engage residents in dialogue about AI initiatives through public meetings, surveys, and community forums when appropriate. Feedback from the community will be integral to shaping AI policies and practices so as to build confidence and acceptance of the use of AI.
Feedback Loops: Establish mechanisms for ongoing public feedback on AI systems and use this input to inform continuous improvement.
Accountability
Accountability mechanisms will be established to ensure that AI systems are used responsibly and that the AI information produced can be relied upon. Departments using AI are required to maintain documentation of AI operations, uses, and decisions.
Key items to ensure accountability include:
Human Oversight: Assign specific Personnel to oversee AI systems, ensuring that human judgment is applied in and the final authority over critical decisions to protect again accuracy, privacy and ethical considerations.
Responsibility Assignment: Clearly define roles and responsibilities for AI system uses, establishing accountability at all organizational levels.
Accuracy: When using AI systems, departments shall confirm that the AI system has produced accurate and verifiable information.
Ethical Use
AI technologies should be designed and deployed in accordance with ethical standards. This includes seeking to avoid biases in AI algorithms, promoting fairness, and preserving human dignity and rights. Key items to strive for ethical use include:
Bias Mitigation: Implement measures, to the greatest extent technically possible, to identify and mitigate biases in AI systems and uses to minimize discriminatory outcomes including, but not limited to race, creed, color, ethnicity, sexual orientation, national origin, sex, disability, marital status, political or social affiliation, age, veteran status, military status, religion, or sexual orientation.
Job and Environmental Impact Assessment: Regularly evaluate AI uses and Borough decisions utilizing those uses for any disparate impacts on different demographic groups, society, and the environment, and take corrective actions, as necessary. The Borough of Dormont does not support using AI to create art, as this could be done by Dormont’s vibrant artistic community. This includes, but is not limited to, the creation or purchase of new art, such as paintings, murals, designs, music, and poetry for the Borough or community use. This does not include the regular use of graphic design tools, such as Canva, for events and invitations, that may or may not use AI. The Borough of Dormont does not support using AI technology to replace jobs, but rather to support current staff to do their jobs more effectively and efficiently.
Privacy Protection
The Borough will implement robust privacy measures to protect sensitive data as well as personal and confidential information. AI applications must comply with existing privacy laws and regulations. Key items to ensure privacy protection include:
Data Protection: Comply with all applicable Federal, state, and local data protection laws and regulations, implementing robust measures to secure personal and sensitive information used by AI systems.
Anonymization: Where possible, use anonymized or de-identified data to minimize privacy risks.
Human Review: All generative AI outputs shall be reviewed by a Borough employee to ensure output does not violate privacy and ethical concerns.
Security
AI systems used by the Borough will be secured against unauthorized access, cyber threats, and other vulnerabilities. Regular security assessments and updates will be conducted to protect AI infrastructure. A key item to ensure security includes:
Security Protocols: Regularly update and test security measures to protect AI systems from unauthorized access and cyber threats.
Inclusivity
AI initiatives will be inclusive and accessible to all residents of Dormont. Efforts will be made to ensure that AI benefits are distributed equitably across the community. A key item to ensure inclusivity includes:
Inclusive Design: Develop AI uses that consider the diverse needs and characteristics of the Borough’s population, ensuring equitable access and benefits.
Implementation Guidelines
Privacy and Compliance
The Borough will secure the data of the public when using AI technologies, including personally identifiable information (PII) or other regulated data and will consult with legal and IT / security prior to use. The handling of data includes, but is not limited to, complying with the applicable state and Federal laws and regulations, as well as any requirements related to access controls, encryption, data retention requirements, and data sharing agreements. Additionally, AI-generated recording tools that record or transcribe a meeting may jeopardize privacy and confidentiality. The Borough generally will not use any such recording tool unless approved by legal counsel or in accordance with the Borough’s recording policies and in such cases will provide disclosure that such recording is taking place.
Disclosure of AI Use
The Borough must be transparent in their use of all forms of AI and properly identify and disclose AI-generated content. All AI content, including but not limited to generative AI and agentic AI, used by the Borough must be clearly labeled in an appropriate manner. This disclosure allows for transparency and responsible content evaluation.
Examples of disclosures that can be used are as follows:
• This memo was summarized by [AI tool] using the following prompt: “Summarize the following memo: (memo content).” The summary was reviewed and edited by [name(s)].
• This code was written with the assistance of [generative AI tool]. The code was reviewed and edited by [name(s)] and approved by [name(s)].
The Borough must also perform due diligence to reasonably ensure that no copywritten materials are released without proper attribution, as generative AI systems might unintentionally violate existing copyrights. Personnel should consult with the Borough Manager and legal if they have questions about using AI-generated content.
AI Procurement
When procuring AI technologies, the Borough will prioritize solutions that adhere to the principles outlined in this policy. Vendors must demonstrate compliance with ethical standards and provide evidence of their systems’ reliability and effectiveness.
Training and Development
Employees involved in AI projects will receive training on AI technologies, ethical considerations, and policy compliance. Continuous professional development opportunities will be provided to keep staff updated on AI advancements from the Borough, third-party vendors that procure with the Borough, and other municipal government organizations. The Borough shall create training opportunities for Borough employees to grow their skills in using AI, with special attention to ethical and privacy concerns surrounding AI.
Monitoring and Evaluation
The Borough will establish monitoring and evaluation frameworks to assess the performance and impact of AI systems. Annual audits will be conducted to ensure adherence to the policy and to identify areas for improvement.
Review and Amendment
This AI Use Policy will be reviewed periodically to reflect technological advancements, regulatory changes, and community feedback. Amendments will be made as necessary to ensure the policy remains relevant and effective.
Conclusion
The Borough of Dormont is dedicated to harnessing the power of AI in a manner that is ethical, transparent, and beneficial to all residents. By adhering to this policy, the Borough aims to set the standard for responsible AI use in local government, fostering a future where the Borough uses technology to enhance its ability to serve the public good.
References
1. IBM. “What is artificial intelligence (AI)?” https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/artificial-intelligence. August 9, 2024.
Disclosures
This Policy was written with the assistance of research from Microsoft’s Copilot and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The policy was written by Council Vice President, Brandon Ledford. The policy was reviewed and edited by Borough Manager, John Stinner, and the Borough Solicitor the policy was reviewed and approved by Borough Council and the Mayor.
Artificial Intelligence Use Policy for the Borough of Dormont