Denver council votes down a $3.9M extension for its 311 chatbot

DENVER, October 2026 — Denver's city council voted down five more years of funding for Sunny, the AI chatbot on the city's website. Here's what launched, what it cost, and what went wrong.

Cost and outcome (as of Oct. 21, 2026)

Outcome: the extension failed 3-9 on Oct. 13 (3 for, 9 against). (Council minutes)
Cost: the resolution would have added $3,889,784.94 for a new total of $4,339,784.94, through Oct. 1, 2031. (Legistar)
City's claim: a satisfaction rating "around 90 percent," per the mayor's office. (Denver7)
Status: the contract is paid through the end of October; the mayor's office wants it restored. (Denverite)

What launched

Sunny is a feature on the city's website that answers questions about city services, Denverite reported. Denver7 described it as built "to answer simple questions or take non-emergency reports about issues like potholes." Sunny was launched in February 2024 and understands 72 languages, Denverite reported.

The chatbot and other digital services field 40% of all 311 customer contact inquiries, according to the mayor's office.

The vote

The resolution would have extended the city's contract with Citibot, Inc. for "continual use and support of the AI Chatbot for Denvergov.org," the council's Legistar record shows. A committee approved filing it on Sept. 22; it was called out on Oct. 5 and postponed a week.

On Oct. 13, the motion to adopt it "failed to carry," the minutes show. Council members Kevin Flynn, Chris Hinds and Darrell Watson voted yes. Nine voted no.

The extension also would have allowed the city to create a "voicebot" for 311 calls on "low complexity" questions, The Denver Post reported. Staff described a voice assistant as only a possible future pilot, estimated at about $600,000 a year, with no funding identified, The Badger reported.

What council members said

Council members cited issues with 311 requests through the chatbot and its accuracy when answering questions, Denverite reported. Councilmember Amanda Sawyer said the chatbot directed her to a park outside Denver, according to The Badger.

"I think artificial intelligence is a nightmare unfolding before our eyes," Councilman Paul Kashmann said, according to the Post. "I don't know anyone who thinks the world of customer service has improved since humans have been replaced with bots."

"Four million dollars could hire a lot of staff members for 311 to restore those services," Sawyer said, per Denverite.

Councilmember Shontel M. Lewis called the contract to a vote, Denverite reported. "I hear often from constituents who are dissatisfied with the shift to Sunny and want to connect with the person when reporting issues to the city," she said.

Hinds, who voted yes, said many of his constituents would rather use digital services than talk with someone over the phone. "That's how some people want to communicate," he said, according to the Post.

What the city said

"Losing Sunny means losing a tool that has reduced burnout among employees, slowed attrition, and lowered hold times for 311," wrote Jon Ewing, a spokesperson for the mayor. "We will meet with Council to discuss the totality of services Sunny provides and will look to get the contract back on track soon."

The city told Denver7 it plans to hire and train three new 311 agents by next summer. It said that if Sunny "were to become unavailable for a period of time while we iron out the details, we would expect to see a 40% increase in 311 calls, with a corresponding increase in caller wait times."

What went wrong

The renewal came late. Some council members questioned why the contract, which technically expired Oct. 1, was brought to them so late, the Post reported.
Accuracy wasn't shown. Critics questioned whether the city had adequately measured the chatbot's accuracy or user satisfaction, The Badger reported.
What we don't know yet: whether Sunny stays online after October, what a new deal would cost, and how the 90% rating was measured.

Our follow-up question for the City of Denver

How was Sunny's satisfaction rating measured, and how often does it give a wrong answer?

Sources

City and County of Denver, City Council minutes, Oct. 13, 2026 (resolution 26-1373). denver.legistar1.com
City and County of Denver, Legistar, “File #: 26-1373.” denver.legistar.com
Denverite, Kiara DeMare, “Denver's AI chatbot, Sunny, doesn't know the city council just doomed it,” Oct. 14, 2026. denverite.com
The Denver Post, Elliott Wenzler, via Government Technology, “Denver AI Chatbot 'Sunny' May Go Dark After Contract Vote,” Oct. 14, 2026. govtech.com
The Badger, “Denver council rejects Citibot, Slalom contract extensions,” Oct. 16, 2026. denver.thebadger.news
Denver7, Ryan Fish, “After Council pushback, Denver's AI chatbot faces uncertain future,” Oct. 21, 2026. denver7.com
Citibot, Inc., Form D filing, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 2024. sec.gov

Disclosure: [not in copy] Editor placeholder