City of manhattan

What City of manhattan does

The City of Manhattan is a municipal government entity operating under a Commission-Manager form of government in Manhattan, Kansas, a community of more than 50,000 residents anchored by Kansas State University and Fort Riley. The City delivers essential public services across multiple departments, including public utilities (water and wastewater treatment and distribution), fire services, parks and recreation (including Sunset Zoo, an AZA-accredited facility, and the Flint Hills Discovery Center museum), Manhattan Regional Airport, municipal court, planning and development, public works, and licensing and permitting. It is governed by an elected City Commission with Danielle Dulin serving as City Manager. The City does not operate as a commercial enterprise; it is publicly owned, funded primarily through property and sales tax revenue, utility billing, licenses and permits, and court fines and fees.

The City's technology backbone is the CivicPlus Content Management System, which powers its unified digital portal (manhattanks.gov). The platform integrates citizen-facing services such as utility bill payment, permit and license applications, court fine payment, GIS-based Mapping Manhattan, Report It! citizen issue reporting, Open Records requests, and opt-in email/SMS notifications. Website accessibility is certified to Section 508 and WCAG 2.0 A/AA standards. The Technology & Communications department, led by a CIO, manages IT, GIS, network, and enterprise systems operations in-house.

Revenue mechanics are tax-and-fee based rather than market-priced. Property and sales taxes provide the largest funding base, supplemented by recurring utility billing to residential and commercial customers, one-time license and permit fees, and transactional court fines. Service delivery is multi-channel: in-person at City Hall (1101 Poyntz Avenue), self-serve via the online portal, and through physical infrastructure (parks, zoo, museum, airport, recreation facilities). Strategic partnerships with Kansas State University, Fort Riley, Riley County, Pottawatomie County, the Greater Manhattan Economic Partnership, and the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce anchor regional economic development, planning, and shared services.

Name

City of manhattan

Legal name

City of Manhattan

Website

https://manhattanks.gov

Company type

Public

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The City of Manhattan, Kansas is a municipal government providing essential public services — water/wastewater utilities, fire, parks and recreation, airport, municipal court, planning, and licensing — to more than 50,000 residents, funded through taxes, utility fees, and permits under a Commission-Manager governance structure.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Government Services

NAICS

Executive Offices (921110), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241), Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (9251), Regulation and Administration of Communications, Electric, Gas, and Other Utilities (926130)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Sanitary Services (4950), Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900)

akta.pro primary industry

Mayor/City Manager & General Administration (BPAIACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Works & Municipal Infrastructure (Streets, Stormwater, Facilities) (BPAIACAF), Planning, Zoning, Permitting & Code Enforcement (BPAIACAE), Municipal Tax & Revenue Administration (Local) (BPAIACAD), Economic Development & Business Licensing (Local) (BPAIACAN), Public Works Departments (Streets, Bridges, Stormwater, Fleet, Maintenance) (BPAIALAD)

Keywords

• Municipal government services
• Public utility services
• Parks recreation programs
• Public safety services
• Urban planning zoning

Headquarters

HQ city

Manhattan

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tax Revenue: Municipal government funded primarily through property taxes, sales taxes, and other tax revenues collected from residents and businesses within the city limits.
2. Utility Services: Water, wastewater, and other utility services billed to residential and commercial customers.
3. Licenses and Permits: Fees collected for various licenses, permits, and approvals including building permits, contractor licenses, rental registrations, and business licenses.
4. Fines and Fees: Municipal court fines, parking violations, and other regulatory penalties collected through the municipal court system.

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The City of Manhattan, Kansas operates as a municipal government providing essential services to residents and businesses within its jurisdiction. Core offerings include public safety coordination, water and wastewater utilities, parks and recreation facilities, municipal airport operations, planning and development, licensing and permitting, municipal court services, and community programming through facilities such as Sunset Zoo and the Flint Hills Discovery Center. The city is funded through taxes, utility fees, licenses, permits, and fines.

Product overview

The City of Manhattan, KS operates a unified municipal government website platform built on the CivicPlus Content Management System, providing comprehensive citizen-facing digital services. The platform integrates multiple city departments and services including Utility Billing, Parks & Recreation, Manhattan Regional Airport, Municipal Court, Public Utilities, Fire Department, Licenses & Permits, Flint Hills Discovery Center, Sunset Zoo, Report It! citizen reporting, Open Records requests, Email & Text Notifications, Mapping/GIS services, and Planning & Development into a single online portal. This is a government services platform rather than a commercial product, with the website serving as the primary digital interface for all municipal operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Utility Billing and Public Utilities Water distribution, wastewater treatment, and online utility billing services available to residential and commercial customers within Manhattan city limits.
• Parks and Recreation Public parks, waterparks, splash parks, ice rink, athletic programs, camps, and community events managed by the Manhattan Parks and Recreation Department.
• Manhattan Regional Airport Regional airport providing airline services, flight booking, general aviation, and FBO services for travelers and military personnel.
• Municipal Court Services Online and in-person municipal court services including record search, docket lookup, fine payment, driver license status check, and court forms.
• Manhattan Fire Department Fire services including operations, risk reduction, fire prevention, community engagement, and safety information for residents and businesses.
• Licenses and Permits Online portal for city licenses, permits, and applications including contractor licenses, rental registration, and moving permits.
• Flint Hills Discovery Center Museum and visitor center dedicated to the Flint Hills region with exhibits, educational programs, membership, and facility rentals.
• Sunset Zoo AZA-accredited zoo offering animal exhibits, conservation programs, education, special events, and venue rentals.
• Planning and Development Development review, zoning regulations, comprehensive planning, historic preservation, and Community Development Block Grant programs.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• CivicPluscoreTechnology or IntegrationCivicPlus provides the Content Management System powering the City of Manhattan's official website. The platform enables the city to manage website content, forms, calendars, notifications, and civic engagement features.
• Kansas State UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerK-State is a major partner in the Manhattan community. The university collaborates with the city on economic development initiatives, NBAF (National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility) related activities, and community programs. The Flint Hills Discovery Center has educational partnerships with the university.
• Fort RileymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFort Riley military base is a key partner addressing noise impacts and joint land use studies. The base contributes significantly to the regional economy and works with the city on various community matters including airport services for military personnel.
• Riley CountymajorOthersThe city collaborates with Riley County on shared services including Riley County Police Department for law enforcement, GIS zoning mapping, and various regional planning initiatives.
• Pottawatomie CountyminorOthersThe city shares boundaries with Pottawatomie County and coordinates on GIS zoning maps, commercial tax calculations, and regional development planning.
• Greater Manhattan Economic PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA regional economic development organization that works with the city on business attraction, retention, and expansion initiatives within the Manhattan metropolitan area.
• Manhattan Chamber of CommercemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe city's community partners include the Chamber of Commerce for business advocacy, Convention & Visitors Bureau for tourism promotion, and various other business support organizations.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• City of Emporia, Kansas: Smaller Kansas university city (Emporia State University) with municipal utility operations and a comparable institutional-anchor economic model, often used for peer benchmarking on rate structures.
• City of Lawrence, Kansas: Comparable mid-size Kansas university city (University of Kansas) with similar municipal service portfolio — utilities, parks & recreation, transit, planning, and a comparable institutional-anchor economic profile.
• City of Salina, Kansas: Mid-size Kansas city with comparable municipal service breadth — water/wastewater utilities, regional airport, parks & recreation, and economic development programs — and similar population scale.
• City of Junction City, Kansas: Adjacent Kansas municipality sharing the Fort Riley military footprint; similar smaller-scale municipal operations with overlapping military-community services and economic dependency on the same base.
• City of Olathe, Kansas: Growing Kansas city in the Kansas City metro offering the same municipal service mix — utilities, recreation, planning, public works — at slightly larger scale with more diversified commercial tax base.

Broad incumbents

• City of Topeka, Kansas: Kansas state capital and larger municipal government offering an overlapping service portfolio (utilities, airport, parks, transit) at greater scale — useful for benchmarking capital programs and service delivery.
• City of Overland Park, Kansas: Largest Johnson County municipality with an extensive parks, recreation, and public-works portfolio; commonly cited as a benchmark for digital service delivery and municipal operations in Kansas.

Others

• Riley County, Kansas: Direct jurisdictional partner providing police, GIS, and regional planning services; comparable county-municipal governance dynamic and overlapping taxpayer base make it a structural peer for shared-service analysis.
• CivicPlus: Core technology vendor powering the City's digital services platform; included as an enabling/ecosystem peer given the City's reliance on CivicPlus CMS for citizen-facing service delivery.

Regional players

• City of Manhattan, Kansas (Olathe-style peer): Regional peer of similar scope in neighboring state context — Manhattan, KS is itself occasionally benchmarked against mid-size Missouri cities like Springfield and St. Joseph for cross-state municipal comparisons.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCYuM55AnSuLXGP60tI8XUKg
• Facebookfacebook.com/Cityofmanhattan
• Instagraminstagram.com/cityofmanhattan
• Xx.com/cityofmhk

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about City of manhattan