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Council approves three‑month trial of REPT video Q&A platform for city communications
Summary
Park City council approved a three‑month pilot contract with REPT to add an AI-driven Q&A and short‑video service to the city website; the service will cost $1,000 per month and continue on a monthly basis with 30 days’ notice to cancel.
Park City’s City Council voted 7-0 Tuesday to authorize the mayor to sign a three‑month trial contract with REPT, a web‑based video messaging and AI Q&A platform, to augment city communications.
Council members said the platform could help staff answer frequently asked resident questions, host short videos on construction and events, and reduce mis‑information on social media by providing a single, staff‑approved source of answers.
City Administrator Sean Fox presented the REPT pilot, saying the platform searches the city’s website to provide written answers and offers staff the option to create short (about 45‑second) teleprompter‑assisted videos when a written response is insufficient. The vendor’s demonstration showed an example site (“Ask Emporia”) in which a city manager recorded a short recorded message and the platform displayed captions for ADA accessibility.
Under the authorized terms, the pilot will run from May 1, 2025, through July 31, 2025, at $1,000 per month. If the city continues the service after the trial, it will proceed on a rolling monthly basis at the same rate and may be canceled at any time with 30 days’ notice. Councilmembers asked whether the platform would answer questions posted on third‑party social media; staff clarified REPT answers questions asked through the REPT interface or a dedicated link on the city website, and that the city can post REPT videos to its social channels but the system will not automatically answer comments on Facebook or other social platforms.
Council discussion included outreach and adoption concerns and measurement. Charles Schwenke asked how the AI answer appears when an item is found on the website; staff demonstrated a text answer and noted the city would review answers before they are returned to residents. Council members also asked about usage tracking; staff said the city would monitor questions and view counts during the trial to measure engagement.
The motion to authorize the mayor to sign the REPT trial contract was made by Councilwoman Brandy Bailey, seconded by Councilman Jim Schrader, and passed 7-0. Staff said the trial will be paid from the general fund and that the city will assign staff to manage content and review AI responses during the pilot.
