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Lennox council declines $2,500 trial for AI chatbot on city website
Summary
Council voted to decline a short trial of an unbudgeted $2,500 AI chatbot add‑on from Apogee, citing unclear analytics and uncertain community benefit, and suggested the idea be reconsidered in next year's budget if desired.
The Lennox council voted Tuesday to decline a short trial of an AI chatbot proposed by Apogee, the vendor that maintains the city's website. Staff presented the product as a low‑cost add‑on ($2,500) with a trial through March 30 that could help users find documents and meeting minutes more quickly.
"Just a little easier for folks to find things that they're looking for on the website," Nate said, describing intended benefits for users who search for meeting minutes or documents. Staff also said the company did not provide clear analytics about current website use; council members expressed concern that the city could not quantify how many residents would use the feature during a short trial.
After discussion about value, analytics and timing — and noting the expense was unbudgeted for the current year — a council member moved to reject the proposal. The motion carried. Staff suggested the feature could be revisited and budgeted for a future year should the council want to pursue it then.
The trial would have run through March 30; the council instead recommended tracking website analytics and, if demand is demonstrated, considering the chatbot as a budgeted item in the next fiscal year.
