Bannock County staff to explore a countywide ChatGPT subscription; IT to coordinate departments

Elise Foster, subdivision planner, told commissioners the planning office has researched AI tools to speed application reviews and recommended purchasing the business ChatGPT/Codex product for at least five seats. "We're hoping to be able to secure the business chat GTP and codex accounts... That will allow us to create agents to help with review process," Foster said, noting the annual per-seat price range and that some offices could share an account.

Adam McKinney, the county chief technical officer, recommended buying a single, centrally managed county account to reduce management overhead and to allow IT to monitor usage and forecast costs. "It makes more sense to purchase a single account and use it countywide, because we'll save money that way," McKinney said, adding that token/usage overages on some subscriptions mean the county should gather several months of usage data before final billing decisions.

Commissioners asked IT to convene department heads to identify needs and usage scenarios, with an eye toward either central budgeting under IT or cross-charging departments based on usage. There was general agreement to explore a countywide approach and for IT to arrange a follow-up meeting with department heads.