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Creve Coeur staff propose AI-powered web chat (CitiBot); council signals support and authorizes next steps
Summary
Public information staff proposed implementing a CitiBot AI web chat on the city website to help residents find services and submit service requests. First-year costs were presented at $11,000 (including $5,000 implementation); council expressed broad support and directed staff to proceed with implementation planning and outreach.
City public information officer Lisonbee Bradford presented a proposal to add an AI-powered web chat (CitiBot) to the city website as a way to help residents find municipal information and route service requests.
Bradford described how the chat is restricted to municipal website content, provides links or direct guidance to service-request forms, supports translation in multiple languages as an add-on, and can be integrated with the city's service-request software for additional cost. She told the council the first-year fee would be $6,000 for the web chat plus a one-time implementation fee of $5,000, for a total of about $11,000; recurring annual fees were presented as lower in subsequent years.
Council members asked about integration with the code-of-ordinances and mobile devices, implementation timelines (two to three months), and whether other vendors had been considered. Bradford said the system can be configured to search the city website and be refreshed weekly or on request. Several council members expressed support for piloting the web chat and for public education on usage; staff indicated the expense is included in the proposed FY2026 administration budget and that signing before a month'end could secure a small discount.
Direct quote from staff: "So the first year fee would be the web chat at 6,000 plus a onetime implementation fee of 5,000. So the first year would be, yeah, 11,000."
