City of Cleveland

What City of Cleveland does

The City of Cleveland is a municipal government entity founded in 1796 and headquartered on the shore of Lake Erie in Ohio, serving approximately 375,000 residents across 15 wards and operating as Ohio's second-largest city. It provides essential municipal services through wholly owned operating divisions: the Division of Water (serving 1.4 million residential, commercial, and industrial customers across 80 communities in six counties — the largest supplier in Ohio and tenth-largest municipal water service in the United States, operating 5,300 miles of water mains, 4 treatment plants, and 21 storage assets); Cleveland Public Power (the largest municipally owned electric utility in Ohio, serving ~74,000 customers via a 300 MW system and 36 substations); Water Pollution Control (1,435 miles of sewer); and public-safety divisions (Police, Fire, and EMS, with EMS handling 120,000+ calls, 105,000+ incidents, and 73,000+ transports annually). The entity is governed by an elected Mayor (Justin M. Bibb, 58th mayor) and a 15-member City Council.

Cleveland generates revenue through a hybrid government model combining tax revenue (property taxes administered via Cuyahoga County, income-tax and other levies), regulated utility tariffs (water and electric), unit-priced fees (e.g., $200 civil-ticket fines with $50 late fees, building permit fees of $60 plus Certificate of Occupancy requirements), grants, and tax-increment financing tied to redevelopment districts such as The Midline and the proposed East Side TIF (conservatively $64M–$182M over 30 years). Major in-flight capital commitments include a $2.4B domed stadium in Brook Park (Haslam-funded with $100M to the city over ~30 years), the $5B Shore-to-Core-to-Shore waterfront plan, $150M Lake Erie shoreline improvements, a $100M affordable housing fund, and a $21M RISE police-district modernization. Permitting and licensing are processed via the Accela-powered Permit Portal; citizen support via the 311 system.

Core technology infrastructure is a Microsoft Azure Commercial Cloud-based platform layered with Power BI and Esri, governed by Mayor Bibb's Open Data Policy (December 2023) and consolidated from 130 fragmented enterprise systems by interim CITO Elizabeth Crowe. The Urban Analytics & Innovation ("Urban AI") department operates the Cloud Data Platform and runs the Open Data Portal (launched April 2024, featuring tools such as a cemetery viewer and 311 dashboard), the Property Insights Tool (launched June 2026, integrating 15 city systems), and process-automation/analytics capabilities for 311 routing, predictive property analytics, and bottleneck optimization. Marketing and service distribution span the clevelandohio.gov portal, TV20 broadcast, 311 phone/online, email newsletters, multilingual social media, 25+ Neighborhood Resource and Recreation Centers, and partner networks including CHN Housing Partners, CMSD, and community development corporations.

Name

City of Cleveland

Legal name

City of Cleveland

Website

https://clevelandohio.gov

Company type

Public

Founded year

1796

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

The City of Cleveland is a municipal government serving ~375,000 residents across 15 wards in Ohio, operating essential utility, public safety, and digital services including water supply to 1.4M customers, electric service to ~74,000 customers, and a multi-phase technology modernization built on Microsoft Azure, Power BI, Esri, and Accela.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Government Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Utilities (22), Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (9251), Regulation and Administration of Communications, Electric, Gas, and Other Utilities (926130), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900), Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623)

akta.pro primary industry

Mayor/City Manager & General Administration (BPAIACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Smart Cities & Urban Innovation Programs (Digital Planning, Civic Tech for Cities) (BPAIANAJ), Public Works & Municipal Infrastructure (Streets, Stormwater, Facilities) (BPAIACAF), Sustainable Cities, Urban Development & Green Infrastructure (BPADALAL)

Keywords

• Municipal government services
• Public utilities
• Drinking water services
• Public safety services
• Government permitting

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The City of Cleveland is a municipal government that delivers essential services to residents, businesses, and developers within the city and surrounding region. Its core offerings include municipal utilities (drinking water to 1.4 million customers via Cleveland Water and electricity to 74,000 customers via Cleveland Public Power), public safety (police, fire, and EMS handling over 120,000 calls annually), code enforcement, permitting and licensing through the Accela-powered Permit Portal, recreation facilities, and digital citizen services including the 311 support system, Open Data Portal, and Urban Analytics & Innovation office.

Product overview

The City of Cleveland offers a broad portfolio of municipal services spanning public safety (police, fire, EMS), utilities (water, power), community development, and technology modernization. The city's technology offerings include the Urban Analytics & Innovation (Urban AI) department serving as the data center of excellence, which oversees the Open Data Portal (launched April 2024) for public access to city operational data, the Accela-powered Permit Portal (launched January 2026) for streamlined permit applications, and the 311 Citizen Support system as the front door to City Hall. The city also provides essential utility services including water (serving 1.4 million customers across 80 communities) and Cleveland Public Power (serving 74,000 customers with 300 MW capacity), plus recreation facilities and code enforcement services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cleveland Water: Division of Water providing drinking water service to 1.4 million customers
• Cleveland Public Power
• Cleveland WPC
• Urban AI
• Cleveland 311
• RISE Initiative
• The Midline

Products and services

• Division of Water (Cleveland Water) Provides drinking water service to 1.4 million residential, commercial, and industrial customers across 80 communities in six counties in Greater Cleveland through 5,300 miles of water mains, 4 treatment plants, and 5 major pump stations.
• Cleveland Public Power (CPP) Provides electric service to approximately 74,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers through a 300-megawatt system and 36 substations stepping down voltage for distribution.
• Division of Water Pollution Control (Cleveland WPC) Provides sewer maintenance, wastewater collection, and stormwater management through 1,435 miles of sewer collection system lines, protecting the environment and health of Cleveland residents.
• Division of Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Responds to 9-1-1 calls providing urgent pre-hospital treatment, stabilization, and transport; staffs advanced life support ambulances averaging 25 units per day shift and 21 per night shift, handling over 120,000 calls, 105,000+ incidents, and 73,000+ patient transports annually.
• Division of Police Provides law enforcement services across Cleveland, including district operations, recruitment, and community policing; central to the RISE Initiative which reduced homicides by 36% and achieved record police recruitment.
• Division of Fire Provides fire protection and emergency response services for residents and businesses throughout Cleveland.
• 311 Citizen Support Phone (3-1-1 or 216-664-2000) and web-based citizen support system serving as the front door to City Hall for non-emergency service requests, issue reporting, and information on city services.
• Permit Portal (Accela) Online system that consolidates previously fragmented permitting and licensing workflows into a centralized, mobile-friendly platform for residents, businesses, and developers to apply for permits, licenses, and city approvals.
• Open Data Portal
• Urban Analytics & Innovation (Urban AI) Data and business process center of excellence for the City of Cleveland, with three teams (Innovations & Process Improvement, Data Analytics, and Data Engineering) enabling improved decision-making through data analytics, increasing transparency through data access, and establishing data governance.
• Neighborhood Resource and Recreation Centers (NRRCs) Over 20 recreation centers across Cleveland offering facilities including indoor pools, weight rooms, gyms, game rooms, meeting rooms, and fitness programs for residents; serve as community hubs for information dissemination.
• Division of Code Enforcement Inspects properties to ensure compliance with housing and zoning codes, investigates complaints, obtains warrants for inspections, remediates non-compliant structures, and prosecutes code enforcement cases.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DigitalCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 May 2026DigitalC received $4.35 million in authorized performance payment from Cleveland City Council after exceeding 2025 targets for expanding broadband access and digital skills training. The Bureau of Internal Audit verified 4,862 eligible new household subscriptions and 10,105 eligible digital adoption service records. The initiative is being examined as a model for community-based broadband expansion by civic, philanthropic, and industry sectors.
• Site Readiness for Good Jobs FundcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 May 2026The City of Cleveland partnered with the Site Readiness for Good Jobs Fund to announce The Midline, a 350-plus acre redevelopment initiative to convert long-vacant industrial land on the near east side into a connected employment district with public greenway and community amenities. The project aims to create at least 1.5 million square feet of industrial and commercial space supporting over 2,500 direct jobs.
• CHN Housing PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 February 2026Third Federal has continued its partnership since 2012 with CHN Housing Partners to offer free income tax preparation assistance for individuals and families earning less than $69,000, helping filers identify eligibility for the Earned Income Tax Credit.
• Cleveland Central Catholic High SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 February 2026Cleveland Central Catholic High School participates as a nonprofit partner in the free income tax preparation assistance program, offering facilities and support for the initiative serving low-income residents.
• AccelacoreTechnology or Integration · 13 January 2026Accela, a cloud solutions provider for government, partnered with Cleveland to launch the Permit Portal, an online system that streamlines applications for permits, licenses, and city approvals. The migration removed fragmented steps that previously slowed down permitting processes, consolidating workflows into a centralized, mobile-friendly system.
• Leopardo EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 October 2025Leopardo Energy partnered with the City of Cleveland for the $21 million RISE (Raising Investment in Safety) Initiative to modernize police district buildings. Leopardo Energy leads sustainable upgrades including roof, window, heating, cooling, and solar panel installations, with project financed through energy savings guarantees.
• Cleveland Browns (Jimmy and Dee Haslam)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 October 2025Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb and Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam reached an agreement for a new $2.4 billion domed stadium in Brook Park, Ohio. The Haslams will pay the city $100 million over nearly three decades with additional funds for demolition, development, and road improvements, ending legal disputes over potential relocation from downtown lakefront.
• Microsoft AzurecoreTechnology or IntegrationMicrosoft Azure Commercial Cloud was selected as the cloud platform for Cleveland's two-year IT modernization initiative, which included an Open Data Policy established by Mayor Bibb in December 2023. Azure powers the analytics warehouse and public-facing dashboards.
• Power BIcoreTechnology or IntegrationPower BI was selected as the analytics and business intelligence platform for Cleveland's modernization initiative, enabling the city to build analytics warehouses and public-facing dashboards for data transparency.
• EsricoreTechnology or IntegrationEsri was selected as the geographic information system (GIS) technology vendor for Cleveland's open data initiative, supporting location-based analytics and mapping capabilities for the city.

Scale indicators26 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• City of St. Louis: Similar-size post-industrial Midwest city confronting population loss, aging infrastructure, and competing regional growth dynamics — closely matched demographic and fiscal baseline.
• City of Pittsburgh: Comparable Rust Belt city of similar size with parallel legacy utility operations (PWSA water, Duquesne Light) and active civic-tech modernization initiatives (Pittsburgh 311, open data portal). Direct analogue for tech-driven urban reinvention.
• City of Detroit: Post-industrial peer of similar scale and demographic profile operating DWSD water/sewer and Detroit Public Lighting, with comparable large-scale redevelopment pipeline and modernization challenges under mayoral leadership.
• City of Cincinnati: Ohio municipal peer operating Greater Cincinnati Water Works and providing similar municipal services; comparable governance structure and shared statewide economic dynamics make it the closest in-state analogue.
• City of Columbus: Ohio's largest city and direct competitor for population and tax base growth; operates Division of Water and similar permitting/public safety functions, providing a benchmark for Cleveland's competitive positioning within the state.
• City of Milwaukee: Midwestern legacy city with comparable municipal water (Milwaukee Water Works) and governance structure, sharing demographic and infrastructure-replacement challenges with Cleveland.
• City of Buffalo: Smaller Rust Belt municipal peer with similar depopulation patterns, aging water/sewer infrastructure, and waterfront redevelopment strategy along Lake Erie's broader region.
• City of Baltimore: Legacy industrial port city with comparable municipal utility operations (DPW water/wastewater) and ongoing civic-tech modernization (Baltimore 311, open data programs); direct functional analogue for service-delivery reinvention.

Broad incumbents

• Accela: Government technology vendor whose Civic Platform powers Cleveland's new Permit Portal. Compares as a technology ecosystem peer enabling the city's digital modernization, not a direct service competitor but a strategic partner whose product roadmap shapes Cleveland's permitting capability.
• Tyler Technologies: Large public-sector software provider (ERP, permitting, courts, public safety) serving municipalities of Cleveland's scale across the U.S.; relevant as a comparable gov-tech platform vendor and ecosystem reference point for Cleveland's IT modernization stack.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/City-of-Cleveland
• Xx.com/cityofcleveland
• Facebookfacebook.com/CityofCleveland
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cityofcleveland

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments16 records

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

Frequently asked questions about City of Cleveland