City and county staff are already using AI tools, whether or not there is a policy in place to guide them. This session gives local government leaders a practical, non-technical roadmap for putting AI guardrails in place before a policy gap becomes a public incident: what a workable AI policy actually needs to cover, the first steps to take right away, and a companion look at vendor risk, the often overlooked reality that your MSP, payroll provider, and software vendors are frequently your biggest point of exposure. No jargon, no scare tactics, just what executive leadership needs to know and do.