Castle Pines faced two primary challenges:

1. Providing Seamless Access to Information – With limited staff hours, the City needed a way to ensure residents could quickly and easily find accurate information without overburdening personnel with repetitive inquiries.
2. Meeting Accessibility Standards – Colorado law mandates that all municipal online content comply with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Many of the City’s historical documents were not compliant, creating a challenge in balancing transparency with accessibility requirements.

“The existing search function was fine, but it wasn’t always easy to find specific information,” said Camden Bender, Communications Director for Castle Pines. “It was very keyword-based and didn’t provide much context.”

Additionally, the City received frequent inquiries about topics that were outside its jurisdiction, such as law enforcement (handled by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office) and animal control. 

“It was a challenge changing behavior—letting residents know that we don’t handle these services while still directing them to the right place,” Bender noted.

Castle Pines implemented Polimorphic’s AI Search to streamline information access and improve compliance with accessibility standards. The AI-driven search function provides contextualized responses to queries, pulling accurate information from City documents and delivering it in an accessible format.

“The AI search allows us to pull from documents that we might not be able to remediate immediately while ensuring the content itself remains accessible,” Bender explained. “People can still get the information they need without us having to manually update every single historic document.”

The City also leveraged AI Search to reduce the burden of responding to repetitive questions. “We’ve seen a reduction in inquiries about things like field and community room reservations,” Bender said. “That used to be a major source of calls and emails, and now residents are able to easily find that information on their own.”

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Results

Since implementing AI Search, Castle Pines has experienced measurable improvements in efficiency and accessibility:

• Significant Reduction in Phone and Email Inquiries – Staff have noticed fewer repetitive questions, allowing them to focus on higher-priority initiatives. “Anecdotally, we’ve seen fewer inquiries about services that are actually provided by other organizations,” Bender said.
• Increased Compliance with Accessibility Regulations – The City can now provide information from older documents without needing immediate, costly remediation. This ensures compliance with state laws while maintaining transparency.
• Faster Access to Critical Information – Residents can now find information on topics like road construction, City events, and permits more efficiently, especially during high-traffic times.

“The AI search has really enabled us to maintain the transparency we value while ensuring we meet accessibility requirements,” Bender emphasized. “It’s helping us navigate changes in a way that benefits both staff and residents.”

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What's Next?

Encouraged by the success of AI Search, Castle Pines is exploring additional AI-driven solutions, including voice AI and chatbot functionality for its website. The City is also considering ways to integrate AI into land use and permitting processes to streamline approvals and reduce back-and-forth communication.

“Any tools that improve efficiency and access to information are valuable to us,” Bender said. “We’re excited to continue working with Polimorphic to expand these capabilities.”

By leveraging AI Search, Castle Pines has not only improved access to information but also set a strong foundation for continued innovation in local government communication and service delivery.