City of Medford

What City of Medford does

The City of Medford is the municipal government of Medford, Massachusetts, located on the Mystic River in Middlesex County approximately 6.7 miles northwest of downtown Boston. Incorporated as a city in 1892 and tracing its settlement to 1630, it serves a population of approximately 59,659 residents (2020 U.S. Census) and a local business base spanning multiple commercial squares under a mayor-council form of government led by Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn. The City delivers the full suite of municipal services — public safety (Police, Fire), public works (Highway, DPW, Water & Sewer), building and code enforcement, property assessment and tax collection, vital records, cemetery operations, recreation, senior services, public health, planning and development, and emergency management.

The City's operational backbone is a central digital portal at medfordma.org, augmented by a modular stack of third-party citizen-service platforms: SeeClickFix for issue reporting, Everbridge for emergency alerts across 12+ languages, City Hall Systems for online tax/utility/parking payments, Citizenserve for building permits, GovOutreach for dog licensing, WaterSmart for residential water usage monitoring, Mass Save for energy programs, Constant Contact for newsletters, and GTechna for parking tickets. Distribution reaches residents through City Hall walk-in service, the Multilingual Resource Line, US mail, physical drop boxes, social media, and local public-access media (Medford Community Media).

Revenue is derived primarily from property taxes (FY2026 residential rate $8.63 per $1,000 of assessed value; commercial/industrial/personal property rate $16.68 per $1,000), motor vehicle excise taxes, bi-monthly water and sewer fees, and a long tail of statutory fees for certificates, licenses, permits, cemetery plots, and code-enforcement fines. The City also administers statutory exemptions and abatements, pursues external grants (e.g., the $105,000 Cummings Foundation grant in 2026), and partners with regional entities including MWRA, the City of Somerville, Tufts University, Waste Management, and Medford Public Schools to deliver coordinated services. No proprietary AI/ML technology is disclosed; service delivery depends on commercially available third-party software.

Name

City of Medford

Legal name

City of Medford

Website

https://medfordma.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1892

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The City of Medford is a Massachusetts municipal government providing public safety, utilities, permitting, recreation, and community services to approximately 59,659 residents and local businesses, funded primarily through property taxes and municipal fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Government Administration

NAICS

Other General Government Support (921190), Administration of Public Health Programs (92312), Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (925), Administration of Economic Programs (9261)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Mayor/City Manager & General Administration (BPAIACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Works & Municipal Infrastructure (Streets, Stormwater, Facilities) (BPAIACAF), Local Public Health & Human Services Administration (BPAIACAK), Housing & Neighborhood Services (Local Housing Programs) (BPAIACAJ)

Keywords

• Municipal government services
• Public safety administration
• Property tax collection
• Building permits licensing
• Water sewer utilities

Headquarters

HQ city

Medford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Property Tax: Primary revenue source for municipal operations. Tax rates are set annually through the fiscal year process. Residential tax rate: $8.63 per $1,000 assessed value (FY2026). Commercial/Industrial/Personal Property rate: $16.68 per $1,000 assessed value.
2. Motor Vehicle Excise Tax: Annual excise tax on registered vehicles, levied per Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 60A, based on the value of the vehicle and its principal garaging location.
3. Water and Sewer Fees: Bills issued every two months for water and sewer services. Unpaid balances are subject to liens on property tax bills.
4. Certificate and License Fees: Fees collected for birth/death/marriage certificates ($10 per copy), business certificates ($30 for 4-year validity), dog licenses ($10-15), marriage license filings ($30), and various other municipal licenses and permits.
5. Tax Exemptions and Abatements: The Assessor's office administers statutory exemptions for veterans, low-income seniors, legally blind persons, surviving spouses, and Community Preservation Act benefits.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The City of Medford delivers municipal government services to approximately 59,659 residents and local businesses in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Core offerings include public safety (police, fire, emergency management), property tax assessment and collection, water and sewer utilities, building permits and inspections, vital records, recreation programs, public works (highway, parks, forestry), health and human services, election administration, and community development. Funding comes primarily through property taxes, motor vehicle excise taxes, water/sewer fees, and various license, permit, and certificate fees.

Product overview

The City of Medford operates as a municipal government providing a comprehensive digital portal through its official website. The offering is a platform-plus-modules architecture centered on the city website (medfordma.org) as the core platform, augmented by specialized service modules including the Everbridge-powered alert system, SeeClickFix request management, City Hall Systems online payments, the WaterSmart water monitoring program, multilingual resource services, curbside composting, and Recreation/Family Network programs. The city uses Citizenserve for building permits, GovOutreach for dog licensing, and Constant Contact for newsletters. Residents interact primarily through the main website to access department services, while dedicated portals handle specific functions like parking tickets (GTechna) and energy assessments (Mass Save).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• City of Medford Official Website

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Tufts UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor educational institution located on the Medford-Somerville border. Tufts University is a private research university founded in 1852 as Tufts College. The university is a significant partner in community programs, events, and cultural activities including use of Tufts Pool for community recreation.
• Waste ManagementcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerContracted provider for city trash and recycling pickup services. Residents can contact Waste Management directly at 800-972-4545 or through wm.com for service inquiries.
• Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional water and sewer authority providing infrastructure services. Medford receives Combined Sewer Overflow notifications through MWRA monitoring systems for Mystic River protection and environmental compliance.
• City of SomervilleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNeighboring municipality sharing Combined Sewer Overflow infrastructure (SOM-001A outfall into Alewife Brook). Coordinates environmental protection efforts affecting both communities and the Mystic River watershed.
• Medford Community MediaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal media organization providing live and archived coverage of city meetings, events, and municipal programming.
• Medford Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal school district serving students from kindergarten through high school. Separate governmental entity with School Committee governance but coordinated with city on various programs including recreation facilities at school sites.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• CivicPlus: Provider of municipal website platforms, agendas/minutes, citizen-request and notification tools widely adopted by U.S. cities of Medford's size. Relevant as an enabling technology peer for the digital engagement stack Medford operates.
• Tyler Technologies: Major SaaS provider of municipal government software (financials, permitting, asset management, courts, public safety) used by many similar-sized cities. Relevant as an ecosystem enabler/vendor serving comparable municipal clients.

Direct peers

• City of Cambridge, Massachusetts: Adjacent Massachusetts city of similar population scale (~118K) operating under the same state municipal code. Comparable in service breadth (public safety, public works, water/sewer, housing, health) and governance structure (City Manager + Council).
• City of Somerville: Neighboring Massachusetts municipality in Middlesex County with comparable population (~80K). Directly comparable as a mayor-council municipal government sharing CSO infrastructure (SOM-001A outfall) with Medford and operating the same Massachusetts General Laws framework.
• City of Malden: Middlesex County, Massachusetts municipality of comparable size (~66K residents) offering the same full-stack municipal services. Directly comparable on tax structure, charter, and resident-base dynamics.
• Town of Arlington, Massachusetts: Nearby Middlesex County municipality (~46K residents) operating under Town Meeting form with similar service breadth. Comparable as a small-to-mid-sized Greater Boston municipal government with similar demographic profile.
• City of Quincy, Massachusetts: Norfolk County, MA city (~101K residents) operating mayor-council governance and similar municipal services. Comparable as a mid-sized Massachusetts municipal government with overlapping service portfolio.
• City of Newton, Massachusetts: Adjacent Boston-metro municipality (~88K residents) operating a similar suite of services under Massachusetts municipal law. Comparable on demographic profile, residential property-tax base, and service delivery breadth.
• City of Waltham, Massachusetts: Middlesex County, MA city (~65K residents) with comparable service scope, property-tax-driven revenue model, and Boston-metro positioning. Comparable as a peer municipal government of similar scale and charter.

Broad incumbents

• City of Boston: Much larger anchor municipality (~675K) operating the same Massachusetts municipal framework but at greater scale. Comparable on service portfolio and oversight structure; relevant as a broader-incumbent benchmark for service delivery models.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/MedfordMass
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC22P65wxUQ3UiEtqVLJifGQ/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/MedfordMAofficial
• Instagraminstagram.com/cityofmedford
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/city-of-medford

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Medford