Minutes of the Work Session held on April 20, 2026
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Meeting Minutes
City Council Work Session
April 20, 2026 | 4:00 p.m.
Council Chambers Conference Room
88 E. Chicago St., Chandler, AZ
Call to Order
The meeting was called to order by Mayor Kevin Hartke at 5:19 p.m.
Roll Call
Council Attendance
Appointee Attendance
Mayor Kevin Hartke
John Pombier, City Manager
Vice Mayor Angel Encinas
Kelly Schwab, City Attorney
Councilmember Jane Poston
Jennifer Ekblad, City Clerk
Councilmember Christine Ellis
Councilmember Matt Orlando
Councilmember OD Harris
Councilmember Jennifer Hawkins
Staff in Attendance
Tadd Wille, Assistant City Manager
Dawn Lang, Deputy City Manager / Chief Financial Officer
Ryan Peters, Deputy City Manager
Leah Powell, Deputy City Manager
Matt Burdick, Communications & Public Affairs Director
Tawn Kao, Deputy City Attorney
Kerstin Nold, IT Chief Technology Officer
Sandip Dholakia, Chief Information Officer
Marge Zylla, Strategic Initiatives Director
John Sefton, Community Services Director
Brad Thomas, IT Chief Information Security Officer
Kristen Poe, IT Project Manager
Molly Mahai, IT Chief Infrastructure Officer
Traci Tenkely, IT Project Manager
Kristi Smith, Management Services Director
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Jaya Velagapudi, Digital Delivery Service Administrator
Discussion
1.
City Technology Updates:
1. Information Technology Department Accomplishments and Vision
2. Overview of Artificial Intelligence Initiatives for use in City Services and/or by City
Staff
3. Update on Enterprise Resource Planning System Replacement
4. Cybersecurity Accomplishments and Vision
MAYOR HARTKE called for a staff presentation.
JOHN POMBIER, City Manager, introduced the discussion item.
SANDIP DHOLAKIA, Chief Information Officer, presented the following presentation.
• Technology Updates Work Sessions
• Accomplishments & Vision
MAYOR HARTKE expressed appreciation for the IT department and the work they do.
KERSTIN NOLD, IT Chief Technology Officer, continued the presentation.
• National Recognition for Technology Excellence
• Artificial Intelligence – Responsible use in city services and by city staff
• AI Already Working for Chandler
• Quick Question for the Room
• Two Types of AI That Matter
• Enterprise AI Pilot
• Where We’re Headed
• Roadmap
COUNCILMEMBER ORLANDO asked how effective use of AI will be measured.
MS. NOLD responded that the steering committee will develop key performance indicators (KPIs)
at that level. Each use case will have its own KPIs, and metrics associated with it that will be
measured along the way. Since AI is different than normal technology, small micro measurements
will be taken to ensure outcomes are aligned. An example would be for the use of AI in permitting,
a goal could be set to reduce the permitting process by a number of days or a percentage of time.
COUNCILMEMBER ORLANDO asked whether the time it took to issue a permit would be measured
before and after the AI tool was used and then compared.
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MS. NOLD said yes, then they would survey the benefits of time saved from using the AI tool.
COUNCILMEMBER ELLIS added that the performance measures will demonstrate the use of AI as
a tool that improves efficiency.
MS. NOLD agreed and added that AI will be used to assist human work.
VICE MAYOR ENCINAS asked if this would be rolling out to all departments.
MS. NOLD said it will be a citywide effort tied to the Council's strategic framework. After the pilot
program, the use cases will be brought forward to city leadership for prioritization as they make
investment decisions going forward.
MS. NOLD continued the presentation.
• Governance: Who Does What
COUNCILMEMBER ORLANDO asked what the estimated annual cost of $40,000-$75,000 for the
100-plus user seats in the software would entail.
MS. NOLD explained that this would be a pilot program to test-run a secure generative pre-trained
transformer (GPT) model for the city. Each model will have its own cost. This pilot program will be
tested by various city staff to evaluate which is the best match for city needs.
COUNCILMEMBER ORLANDO asked about long-term costs associated with artificial intelligence.
MS. NOLD said there are varying costs that could be associated with adopting AI tools such as
hardware, software integration, and potential tokenization costs. This pilot program is so early
that the costs of continuing it are unknown. The steering committee and city leadership will work
to drive outcomes needed to achieve the desired value of using AI tools.
COUNCILMEMBER ORLANDO asked when follow-up information regarding a resource framework
would be available.
MS. NOLD explained that the upcoming budget request for the next fiscal year includes some
projected costs. The goal is to have use cases prioritized for the following year’s budget cycle, with
a more solid AI plan presented.
COUNCILMEMBER ORLANDO noted that he thought the benefits would outweigh the costs but
was working through explaining the benefits in a way that makes sense for residents.
COUNCILMEMBER ELLIS asked if after AI tools are chosen, each department would build it within
their budget to fund whatever part of the platform they would be using.
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MR. DHOLAKIA answered that certain AI costs may be centralized through the IT budget, while
costs for specific AI tools or products may be departmental.
MS. NOLD continued the presentation.
• Vision & Mission
MR. POMBIER added that communicating the mission and vision to employees participating in the
pilot program is essential.
COUNCILMEMBER ORLANDO emphasized that the use of AI will increase productivity and
efficiency.
TRACI TENKELY, IT Project Manager, continued the presentation.
• ERP Journey
MR. POMBIER complimented staff members on the work done for this presentation.
MR. DHOLAKIA noted that most city departments were involved in the project.
BRAD THOMAS, IT Chief Information Security Officer, continued the presentation.
• Accomplishments & Vision
MAYOR HARTKE thanked the IT security team for their work in keeping Chandler's cybersecurity
safe and functional for residents.
Public Comment
None.
Adjourn
The meeting was adjourned at 5:53 p.m.
ATTEST: _______________________
______________________________
City Clerk Mayor
Approval Date of Minutes: May 7, 2026
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Certification
I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Work
Session of the City Council of Chandler, Arizona, held on the 20th day of April 2026. I further certify
that the meeting was duly called and held and that a quorum was present.
DATED this _______ day of May, 2026.
__________________________
City Clerk