A vote to renew an artificial intelligence-powered traffic analysis program is raising questions among some community members who said they wanted more public discussion before city leaders approved the agreement.
The Stillwater City Council approved a renewal of its agreement with Urban SDK during its Oct. 20 meeting on a 4-0 vote. City officials said Stillwater has been using the software since 2025 to evaluate speeding concerns and traffic patterns throughout the city. The two-year renewal carries a total cost of $20,000 and runs from Nov. 1, 2026, through Oct. 31, 2028.
According to city documents, Urban SDK is a geospatial artificial intelligence platform that provides traffic data and mobility analytics using connected vehicle telemetry and satellite imagery. City staff said the software allows officials to review traffic speed and volume data without deploying speed display signs or trailers to gather information.
The city said the platform helps staff respond to speeding complaints and traffic concerns more efficiently by allowing engineers and police to review traffic data remotely rather than conducting traditional traffic studies.
During the Oct. 20 meeting, city officials described the information used by the platform as “anonymous data collected
Public Works Director Jesse Therkelsen told council members the platform relies on vehicle telematics data from roughly 25% of vehicles and does not contain personally identifiable information.
During the discussion, council members said residents who do not want their information shared should consider disabling location-sharing settings on their phones and connected vehicle services in their cars, though the city did not provide specific instructions on how to do so.
Council members also said the information is already being collected through connected vehicles and technology platforms, and that the city is not collecting the data itself.
The software itself has prompted questions from some residents, but some of the debate has focused on the public process surrounding its approval.
“This is all on the taxpayers’ dime, and this is being done without a significant community discussion,” said Lucas Palucha, who works in Stillwater and has been following the issue.
Palucha said residents should have been given more notice and more opportunity to discuss the agreement before it was approved.
“I think the process should have been informing at least residents of Stillwater that the system was going to be debated about at council meetings, and then informing residents that the system was in place and is in place,” he said.
The agreement initially appeared on the city’s Oct. 6 consent agenda, where routine items can be considered together.
During the Oct. 20 meeting, several residents expressed frustration over the city’s public-comment process and pushed for a more interactive discussion with council members.
Mayor Ted Kozlowski told attendees that City Council meetings are not designed to function as public debates or question-and-answer sessions.
“I agree that there is not a good mechanism right now in the City of Stillwater, virtually any other city our size, to have good community conversations,” Kozlowski said during the meeting. “But the City Council meeting is not the place to do it.”
Kozlowski also told residents that council members are available outside meetings by phone, email and in-person conversations.
One attendee could be heard shouting, “shame on you,” as residents continued expressing frustration over the lack of a public discussion.
Kozlowski was unavailable for an interview with KSTP but later provided written responses to questions about the agreement.
In those written responses, Kozlowski said the city uses Urban SDK when residents raise concerns about speeding on specific roadways. He said staff can review traffic data to better understand traffic patterns, respond to concerns more efficiently and reduce the need for traditional traffic studies.
The mayor also said the agreement was originally placed on the consent agenda because it was a renewal of an existing service.
“Personally, I wish we had much more time for public engagement on all city-related matters,” Kozlowski wrote.
Kozlowski also wrote, “We conduct a significant amount of business at every Council meeting, and we cannot always anticipate which items may generate additional questions or public interest.”
Kozlowski said council agendas and supporting materials were publicly available before both the Oct. 6 and Oct. 20 meetings, giving residents opportunities to review the information and contact city staff or council members with questions.
In another written response, Kozlowski said, “I completely understand, it’s hard to pay attention to every contract a city like ours enters into.” He added that while the city publishes agendas publicly and uses social media and local media to share information, “there is no way to ensure everyone reads them.”
KSTP also asked whether city leaders considered additional public discussion given the growing attention surrounding AI-powered technology and data-collection tools such as Flock and Axon.
In his written response, Kozlowski said city leaders became aware of questions about Urban SDK before the Oct. 20 vote, pulled the item from the consent agenda and provided additional information about the technology and how it is used before moving forward.
While city leaders maintain the agreement followed the city’s standard approval process, some residents continue to question whether the public had enough opportunity to understand and weigh in on the renewal before it was approved.
