Jim Thorpe Borough Council is moving toward a vote on a $4,320-per-year artificial intelligence road and asset management system, but at least one resident is questioning: Will the data produce a list of problems the borough can’t afford to fix?

The system, developed by Vialytics, an Edison, New Jersey-based software company, was formally presented to council at its March work session. The package includes a one-time $475 setup fee and a $4,320 annual subscription.

Council members said during a workshop Thursday the municipality plans to review funding options and determine whether the program can be supported within the borough’s budget before placing it on a future voting agenda.

The borough has been piloting the system, which uses an iPhone mounted to a municipal vehicle windshield to photograph road surfaces every 10 to 12 feet as the vehicle travels borough streets. The AI then grades roads, maps distress points and inventories assets, all without an engineer setting foot outside.

During Thursday’s public comment period, resident Ed Gula questioned the economics of the approach.

“I like the program,” Gula said. “I think the program is good and while $4,000 a year is not a lot of money, it’s money that could be used to fill in potholes and fix roads. Spending that $4,000 you’re going to get a big list that you’re never going to get ahead of. I understand it’s a good program. It’s going to give you good data, but do we have the money to be able to get into that and actually fix revenue?”

Council Vice President Mike Yeastedt pushed back, noting the scope of the system extends beyond road ratings.

“Please keep in mind that it’s more than just the road program,” Yeastedt said. “It’s asset management as well. This would help manage the streets department. From everything I saw, I thought it was worthwhile.”

He noted the software could integrate with other borough systems, including geographic information system mapping, and allow multiple departments to track assets such as signage, equipment and infrastructure in real time.

What the system does

The system grades roads on a one-to-five scale using the European EMI standard, identifying up to 15 types of road distress — from critical potholes to early-onset cracking — pinpointed by individual latitude and longitude. A color-coded heat map of borough streets updates continuously. The AI also automatically inventories street signs, manholes, storm drains and damaged lane markings.

At the March presentation, Vialytics representative Daniel Laufer framed the technology as a remedy for the way most small municipalities currently operate.

“A lot of what is done in road and asset management is typically done via pen and paperwork,” Laufer said at the March meeting. “We’re playing whack-a-mole with our potholes every year. The work that the public works team is charged with doing is often very reactive.”

Yeastedt said at the March session that the grading system would give the public works department an objective basis for deciding which roads get repaired first; something it has never had.

“When we get to doing liquid fuels and we say what section of the streets we are going to do, there will be an actual grade,” Yeastedt said at the time. “If we’re disputing which piece to do, one of them might have a five, the other might have a 4.5 and then you have the basis for why you’re going to pick one or the other.”

Beyond roads, the system’s asset management component would replace a process Yeastedt described as cumbersome. “Before, we used to have the Trimble unit with all the software in it to record assets,” he said. “Now you can take the phone, get out of the vehicle, go over to it, stand there and locate that asset. We’re working on this now for the water department so you’ll know where every curb stop is, where every water line is.”

Cost and AI a concern

Council acknowledged the need to review the borough’s budget before making a decision.

“If we’re considering moving forward, then we’d have a conversation with it,” Yeastedt said regarding the budget. “Maybe we could see if they’d give us a price for the rest of the year.”

Another concern raised during discussion involved the use of artificial intelligence.

“My only concern is that we’re against the data center or against AI, and then in our everyday life, all we’re doing is increasing our AI usage,” Jim Thorpe resident Trish Spillman said. “Are we part of the problem?”

Council President Connor Rodgers said AI-based tools are becoming more common in municipal operations.

“AI is the future, whether we like it or not,” he said.