Huntington adopts emergency water-conservation ordinance and official AI-use policy

Huntington City Council voted April 14 to adopt Ordinance 4‑2026, an emergency water‑conservation measure that restricts outdoor irrigation and gives the city authority to enforce stepped penalties for repeat violators. The council also adopted a formal AI‑use policy for city employees that allows AI tools for routine administrative tasks but bans uploading confidential data or using AI to make final legal determinations without attorney review.

The emergency ordinance, introduced by Mayor Leonard Norton, applies to all users of secondary and culinary water inside Huntington City and limits irrigation to two days per week, prohibits irrigation between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m., and bars the use of culinary (potable) water for outdoor irrigation. The ordinance authorizes up to three written warnings for noncompliance; on a fourth violation, the city may shut off water service and assess fines. The mayor said the restrictions are intended to stretch the city's allotment of roughly 40 acre‑feet of secondary water through the summer.

Why it matters: Huntington leaders said area reservoirs and secondary supplies are unusually low and that the city is coordinating with other nearby municipalities to preserve water for essential uses. The council framed the ordinance as a temporary emergency measure that will remain in effect while severe drought conditions continue or until the council modifies or repeals it.

Council also adopted a new municipal policy governing employee use of artificial intelligence. The policy allows AI for drafting letters, generating templates and brainstorming but requires that "AI‑generated content must be reviewed and edited by a city employee before it is used." It also prohibits entering confidential personal information or nonpublic legal or law‑enforcement records into AI tools and forbids relying on AI for final decisions about residents' rights or benefits without city‑attorney review. When asked how much AI was used to create the draft policy, the mayor responded, "Quite a bit."

Several councilmembers asked how the ordinance and policy would be enforced and clarified exceptions. On enforcement, the measure gives the mayor or designee, including public‑works or code‑enforcement personnel, authority to administer the ordinance. On AI, employees are reminded they remain responsible for the accuracy and appropriateness of any AI‑assisted work and that certain AI outputs may be public records.

The council approved both measures by voice vote. The water ordinance was passed as an emergency ordinance and took effect immediately upon passage; the AI policy will be reviewed annually and updated as needed. The ordinance and policy texts were presented and read into the record at the meeting; the council voted to adopt them during the same session.