City of Burlington

What City of Burlington does

City of Burlington is a municipal government operating under a Council-Manager form with a directly elected Mayor (Beth Kennett), Mayor Pro Tem, and five Councilmembers, serving residents and businesses within its corporate limits in Alamance County, North Carolina. The City delivers a comprehensive portfolio of public services: police and fire/EMS with 24/7 dispatch, water and wastewater treatment (Ed Thomas and JD Mackintosh drinking water plants; East and South Burlington wastewater plants), stormwater management, solid waste and recycling collection, streets, sidewalks, and snow removal, public transit via Link Transit, code enforcement, planning and zoning, animal services, recreation (parks, pools, the historic Dentzel Carousel), and the Paramount Theater.

The City operates a modest technology stack anchored by third-party platforms: BurlingtonSmart for permits and inspections, a SeeClickFix-powered "Fix it, Burlington!" mobile application for non-emergency service requests, Municipal Online Payments for utility billing, and CivicRec for recreation registration. The City's most differentiated internal capability is a pioneering PFAS and 1,4-dioxane source monitoring and control program — developed with Haw River Assembly, Duke University experts, the Southern Environmental Law Center, and engineering firm Hazen and Sawyer — that has kept PFOS/PFOA levels well below the EPA 70 PPT advisory. Service delivery is distributed across a network of physical facilities including the 425 S. Lexington Avenue Municipal Building, a Customer Service Annex, dedicated police and fire headquarters, Water Resources Administration (Belmont Lab), Public Works, and an Animal Services Pet Adoption and Resource Center.

Revenue is generated primarily through property taxes, water and sewer utility fees (within the lowest 10% in North Carolina for a family of four), stormwater fees (transitioning to ERU-based for non-residential properties), and solid waste/recycling fees (combined $13.97/month under the 2022 GFL contract). The City has held the property tax rate flat since 2005 but is proposing an 8-cent per $100K of valuation increase for FY26-27 to service 2024 voter-approved General Obligation Bond debt and fund public safety staffing. Capital deployment is anchored by that Bond program — covering the Burlington Sportsplex, Paramount Theater expansion, street resurfacing, MAC Pool enclosure, downtown streetscaping, and sidewalk repair — alongside long-term Western Electric (former Tarheel Army Missile Plant) CERCLA remediation led by the U.S. Department of Defense.

Name

City of Burlington

Legal name

City of Burlington

Website

https://burlingtonnc.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1893

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

City of Burlington is a North Carolina municipal government delivering police, fire, water/sewer, stormwater, solid waste, transit, recreation, and permitting services to residents and businesses within its jurisdictional boundaries, funded via property taxes and utility fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Government Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Police Protection (922120), Regulation and Administration of Transportation Programs (926120), Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction (23731), Water and Sewer Line and Related Structures Construction (23711)

SIC

Sanitary Services (4950), Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Works & Municipal Infrastructure (Streets, Stormwater, Facilities) (BPAIACAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services (BPAIACAI)

Keywords

• Municipal government services
• Public safety services
• Water and sewer utilities
• Solid waste collection
• Recreation and parks

Headquarters

HQ city

Burlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Property Taxes: The city has not raised its tax rate in 19 years (since 2005) but requires an 8-cent tax increase per $100,000 property valuation in FY26-27 to cover GO Bond debt service and maintain municipal service levels.
2. Water and Sewer Utility Fees: Residential and commercial water and sewer services billed monthly with usage-based fees. Water rates are within the lowest 10% in NC for municipal rates for a family of four.
3. Stormwater Fees: Residential properties pay $6-7/month for stormwater management. Commercial and non-single-family residential properties are charged per Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU) based on impervious surface area.
4. Solid Waste Collection Fees: Garbage and recycling pickup services with combined total of $13.97/month as of 2022 contract with GFL Environmental. Fee includes weekly garbage pickup and bi-weekly recycling.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

The City of Burlington is a municipal government that delivers essential public services to residents and businesses within Burlington, North Carolina. Its core offerings include public safety (police and fire), water and sewer utilities, stormwater management, solid waste and recycling collection, transportation infrastructure, recreation and parks, animal services, code enforcement, planning and development, and inspections and permits.

Product overview

The City of Burlington is a municipal government providing a comprehensive portfolio of public services to residents and businesses. Rather than a single product or platform, the city operates multiple service divisions including utilities (water, sewer, stormwater), public safety (fire, police), public works (streets, sanitation, recycling), recreation and parks, planning and development, and animal services. Key service delivery platforms include Burlington Smart for permits and inspections, Burlington Connected for service requests, and online payment systems. Services are delivered through a combination of city-operated facilities, contracted partners, and web/mobile platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BurlingtonSmart
• Fix it Burlington! (Burlington Connected)
• Water and Sewer Services
• Garbage, Recycling and Yard Waste Collection
• Animal Services
• Recreation and Parks
• Fire Department Services
• Police Department Services
• Link Transit
• Streets and Sidewalks Services
• Inspections and Permits
• Code Enforcement
• Planning and Development
• Stormwater Management
• Paramount Theater and Events Center
• PFAS and 1,4-Dioxane Water Quality Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Drinking water PFOS/PFOA levels at 3.16 PPT at JD Mackintosh Plant and 20 PPT at Ed Thomas Plant (well below EPA 70 PPT advisory)
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Burlington Arts and Culture OrganizationsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 19 September 2022The Paramount Theater expansion project involves partnership with local arts and culture organizations for expanded programming offerings. The new event spaces are intended to serve as a catalyst for downtown Burlington's future.
• GFL EnvironmentalcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 July 2022GFL Waste Industries, INC provides curbside recycling pickup services for the City of Burlington under a five-year contract (as of July 2022) with rates locked in and tied to Consumer Price Index increases. The company previously provided services under a favorable 2012 contract that the city honored for 10 years.
• Haw River AssemblycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2020The City of Burlington entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with the Haw River Assembly in October 2020 to formalize joint commitment to analyze and examine potential sources of PFAS and 1,4-dioxane compounds discharged from the city's two Wastewater Treatment Plants. The partnership includes split sampling for independent testing and aims to create a blueprint for other municipalities.
• Duke University PFAS ExpertscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe City of Burlington partnered with PFAS experts from Duke University as part of its comprehensive PFAS testing and sampling protocol development. This collaboration is intended to serve as a model for environmental partnership in North Carolina and potentially across the country.
• Southern Environmental Law CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe city partnered with the Southern Environmental Law Center as part of its PFAS testing and monitoring initiative to address emerging contaminants in wastewater and drinking water systems.
• U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe DoD is responsible for below-ground environmental remediation (groundwater and soil contamination) at the Western Electric (Tarheel Army Missile Plant) site under CERCLA. DoD has spent approximately $3 million on the cleanup process and agreed to interim remedial actions including source removal and groundwater barrier installation. The DoD appointed its top project manager to oversee the cleanup.
• N.C. Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCDEQ works with DoD to facilitate fast-tracking of remedial action at the Western Electric site. The agency also issues discharge permits under NPDES and has been involved in determining the current owner's ineligibility for brownfields program participation.
• American Institute of Architects (AIA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe City worked with AIA to secure a Sustainable Design Assessment Team Grant in 2018 to develop a community-based vision for the Western Electric property, including on-site tours, stakeholder input, and analysis of development potential.
• Alamance County LibrariesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe city partners with Alamance County Libraries to host archival City Works publications and provide library services to residents.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Town of Chapel Hill: NC municipal government with a comparable service-delivery footprint and a similar emphasis on community engagement and environmental stewardship — useful peer for benchmarking PFAS and watershed programs.
• City of Winston-Salem: Mid-sized NC municipal government operating an equivalent service portfolio (utilities, public safety, transit, parks, planning, permitting). Comparable governance scale and revenue mix make it a direct operational benchmark.
• City of Greensboro: Largest municipality in the NC Piedmont Triad and a direct neighbor/downstream-recipient of Burlington's Haw River discharges. Provides the same core municipal service stack (water, sewer, transit, police, fire, parks, permitting) and competes for the same regional labor and commercial base.
• City of Fayetteville: Similar-population NC municipal government operating utilities, public safety, transit, recreation, and solid-waste services. Comparable scope and revenue structure.
• City of Durham: North Carolina municipal government of comparable service scope (water/sewer utilities, transit, police/fire, parks, planning, permitting). Useful peer for benchmarking digital-engagement and bond-funded capital execution.
• Town of Cary: NC municipal government with a comparable Council-Manager structure and a reputation for high service quality at relatively low tax rates — directly comparable to Burlington's stated value proposition of fiscal discipline.
• City of Asheville: Mid-sized NC municipality offering the same full municipal service stack. Useful peer for benchmarking parks-and-cultural programming (including historic assets analogous to Burlington's Dentzel Carousel) and water-quality stewardship.
• City of High Point: Same Piedmont Triad region, similar population scale, and an overlapping municipal service profile (utilities, public safety, recreation, transit). Direct regional peer for service-delivery and budget benchmarking.
• City of Concord: Mid-sized NC municipality with similar population scale and a comparable mix of utilities, public safety, parks, and planning services — direct peer for capital-program execution and rate benchmarking.

Broad incumbents

• City of Raleigh: State capital and the largest NC municipal government. Provides the same full service stack but at materially greater scale; functions as an upper-bound benchmark for service breadth, technology adoption, and transit (GoRaleigh).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BurlingtonNC
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCrevsimmn798D8Lex48vcyQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/BurlingtonNC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/city-of-burlington-nc
• Instagraminstagram.com/burlingtonnc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Burlington