Ep.12 Using AI Safely In Your Small Town
Topics:
MIT AI Risk Initiative - Recent AI Data Incidents:
- 12/2025: ChatGPT misuse by a contractor leads to data exposure in Housing Program
- 1/2026: Moltbook database revealed private conversations
- 3/2026: Meta exposes collected data to unauthorized employees
Steps You Can Take:
- Train Your Employees on the Risks of AI
- Create an approved software list
- Create a Usage Policy
- Create an Incident Response Plan
Grants:
- 7/7 - National Park Service Historic Preservation Fund - Underrepresented Communities Grant - $15k-$100k – Historic Site identification and Registration on National Register of Historic Places
- 7/8 - HRSA - Rural Communities Opioid Response Program - up to $750k for fours years to opiod treatment programs
- 7/9: NEA - GRANTS FOR ARTS PROJECTS – Art Education and ‘Design & Our Town’ projects
- Challenge America Program - $10k
- General Grants – $10k-$100k
- 7/13 - Consumer Protection – Pool Safety Program - $50k-$400k around poll safety and enforcement
- 7/13: GA Municipalities – GA Releaf grant - $15k to urban tree plantings
- 7/29: DOJ – COPS Hiring Program - up to $125k over three years, 25% match, Law enforcement hiring
- 7/31: NY Municipalities – Grants for Climate Action - $35k-$2m for climate change mitigation (flood control, renewal energy)
Find Us:
Mark Partin is Chief of Staff for the City of Sumter (https://sumtersc,gov). Subscribe and Find more of Mark's Local Government Leadership Thoughts at https://localleadershipinsights.substack.com/
Karl McCollester spent 20 year in strategic technology consulting for small municipalities in the Carolinas and George. He is the CEO of GovPossible.
GovPossible (https://govpossible.com) is a Public Benefit Corporation that provides software to help small municipalities manage their operations including finance, budget, licensing, permitting, planning, codes enforcement, cemetery, meetings, and website.