City of Rensselaer

What City of Rensselaer does

The City of Rensselaer is a municipal government entity located in Rensselaer County, New York, formed in 1897 through the consolidation of three villages — Bath, East Albany, and Greenbush. It serves residents and businesses within its jurisdictional boundaries by delivering essential public services through multiple departments: Police (law enforcement and emergency response with ~28 sworn officers and civilian dispatchers), Fire (a combination department of 16 paid members plus volunteers operating from two fire stations), Water and Sewer (distribution serving approximately 80 miles of sewer lines), Public Works/Solid Waste, Planning/Building/Zoning, Youth and Recreation, Library, and an Industrial Development Agency for economic development.

The city's core infrastructure includes two 5-million-gallon water tanks and water purchased from the City of Troy, which sources from the spring-fed Tomhannock Reservoir. Technology stack is conventional for a small municipality: automated/RF meter reading with billing system, MSB Payment Processing for online transactions, eJusticeNY integrated justice portal for police data sharing, Everbridge for mass notifications, and CueHit for SMS-based community engagement. In 2026 the city launched a new notification system; recent years have seen incremental adoption of digital citizen engagement and meter modernization.

Revenue is generated through a mix of recurring and transactional streams: property taxes and assessments, water billing ($5.95 per thousand gallons with semi-annual residential and monthly commercial cycles plus minimum charges), sewer maintenance fees, parking ticket fines, and licenses/permits. A Comptroller's office audits over 3,200 expense/vendor claims annually. Economic development is supported through an IDA Economic Development Loan Program in coordination with county and state-level agencies. Distribution is direct-to-resident through City Hall at 62 Washington Street and supplementary online self-serve channels; there is no export of services outside city limits.

Name

City of Rensselaer

Legal name

City of Rensselaer, New York

Website

https://rensselaerny.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1897

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The City of Rensselaer is a municipal government in Rensselaer County, New York, delivering police, fire, water/sewer, public works, planning, recreation, and library services to the residents and businesses within its jurisdictional boundaries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Government Services

NAICS

Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921), Public Administration (92), Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (922), Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (9251)

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), Planning, Zoning, Permitting & Code Enforcement (BPAIACAE), Housing & Neighborhood Services (Local Housing Programs) (BPAIACAJ)

Keywords

• Municipal government services
• Public safety administration
• Water and sewer utilities
• Building and zoning permits
• Community recreation programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Rensselaer

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Water Billing: Water is billed semi-annually for residential customers and monthly for commercial customers. Revenue generated from water usage charges at $5.95 per thousand gallons with minimum charges of $75 residential and $55 commercial.
2. Sewer Maintenance Fees: Sewer maintenance fees on water bills fund the maintenance and improvement of the city's approximately 80 miles of sewer lines, portions of which were first constructed over 100 years ago.
3. Parking Tickets: Revenue from parking violations processed through the Police Department, payable in person or online via Parking Ticket Assist.
4. Property Taxes and Assessments: Revenue from property taxes as indicated by the 2026 Tentative Assessment Roll and annual budget process.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The City of Rensselaer is a municipal government that delivers essential public services to residents, businesses, and property owners within its corporate limits. Core offerings encompass police and fire protection, water distribution and sewer collection, public works and solid waste, planning/building/zoning administration, library services, youth and recreation programs, and tax/utility billing. Revenue is generated through property taxes, water and sewer user charges, parking fines, and license/permit fees, with semi-annual residential and monthly commercial billing cycles.

Product overview

The City of Rensselaer provides comprehensive municipal services through multiple departments. The core service offerings include Police Department (law enforcement and public safety), Fire Department (fire suppression, rescue, and emergency services), Water and Sewer Department (water distribution and sewer collection), Youth & Recreation (summer programs and community activities), Planning/Building/Zoning (land use and construction oversight), Library services, Public Works, and Purchasing. The city operates a combination fire department with both paid and volunteer members, and provides utility services to approximately 80 miles of sewer lines. Service delivery is supported by third-party systems including MSB Payment Processing for billing, Everbridge for emergency notifications, and an online auction platform for surplus equipment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Police Department Services Law enforcement services including patrol, criminal investigation, traffic safety, community policing, emergency response, and K-9 services for the City of Rensselaer; staffed by one Chief, one Deputy Chief, one Detective Sergeant, two Sergeants, two detectives, eighteen patrolmen, and five civilian dispatchers.
• Fire Department Services Fire suppression, rescue operations, hazardous materials response, and emergency medical services delivered by a combination department of 16 paid members and volunteers, operating apparatus including the 2017 Sutphen SP70 Ladder 1 from the Broadway and North End fire stations.
• Water and Sewer Department Services Water distribution and sewer collection services serving approximately 80 miles of sewer lines and a distribution system fed by two 5-million-gallon water tanks, with semi-annual residential and monthly commercial billing at $5.95/thousand gallons. Water is sourced from the City of Troy, which draws from the spring-fed Tomhannock Reservoir.
• Youth & Recreation Department Programs Summer recreation programs, youth activities, and community recreation services for City of Rensselaer residents.
• Planning, Building, and Zoning Department Services Building permits, zoning administration, planning commission oversight, code enforcement, housing rehabilitation program, and Municipal Stormwater (MS4) management.
• City Library Services Public library services including reading materials, digital resources, and community programs; accepts online payments through MSB Payment Processing.
• Public Works - Solid Waste Department Solid waste collection, recycling, and public infrastructure maintenance services for the city.
• Purchasing Department Services Procurement of materials, supplies, equipment, and services required by the city through competitive bidding and vendor management via the Empire State Purchasing Group / Bidnet Direct bid system.
• Economic Development Loan Program Loan and incentive program administered through the City of Rensselaer Industrial Development Agency (IDA) to promote economic development, job creation, and business growth within the city.
• Assessor Services Property assessment services producing the annual Tentative Assessment Roll used for property tax billing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves residents and businesses through approximately 80 miles of sewer lines
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• City of TroycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe City of Rensselaer purchases its water supply from the City of Troy, which draws water from the spring-fed Tomhannock Reservoir. The water flows to Troy's treatment plant (TWTP) for full treatment including disinfection, coagulation, sedimentation, filtration, and fluoridation before being piped to Rensselaer's distribution system.
• City of Rensselaer Industrial Development AgencycoreOthersThe Industrial Development Agency (IDA) is a separate entity that promotes economic development, job creation, and business growth within the city through various incentive programs and support services.
• Rensselaer County Industrial Development AgencyminorOthersCounty IDA offering sales and property tax incentives, grants, and low-cost capital to attract and retain businesses in Rensselaer County.
• Auctions InternationalminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline auction platform used by the city to sell surplus equipment from Police, Fire, and Public Works departments upon approval from Common Council and Mayor.
• CollarcityauctionsonlineminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline auction platform occasionally used by the city to sell surplus equipment.
• Empire State Purchasing Group Bid SystemminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe city posts bid opportunities to this purchasing group bid system to reach vendors and contractors.
• SCOREminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCORE is a nonprofit association dedicated to educating entrepreneurs and helping small businesses start, grow, and succeed. It is a resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) that mentors small business owners.
• Empire State DevelopmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew York State agency that directs a wide array of programs and initiatives to support small businesses, with an extensive directory of small business programs.
• Town of East GreenbushminorOthersAdjacent municipality conducting public hearings on data center moratorium. While not a formal partnership, the towns share geographic proximity and potential regional planning coordination.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• City of Schenectady, New York: Capital-Region city offering the same suite of municipal services (police, fire, water/sewer, public works, planning) for a similar mid-size upstate New York tax base.
• City of Mechanicville, New York: Small Saratoga-County city of similar size and service scope, providing a near-substitute benchmark for departmental structure, utility billing, and police/fire staffing models in upstate New York.
• City of Watervliet, New York: Small neighboring Capital-Region city that operates the same core set of municipal departments (police, fire, DPW, water, sewer, planning/zoning) for a comparable residential and commercial base.
• City of Albany, New York: Immediately adjacent larger city that runs all the same municipal functions Rensselaer does, providing a natural scale-up benchmark for departmental structure and service delivery in the same labor and supplier market.
• City of Hudson, New York: Comparable small upstate New York city operating police, fire, water/sewer, planning, and public-works departments with a similar annual budget scale and resident profile.
• City of Cohoes, New York: Small Albany-metro city with a similar population size, full-service municipal structure, and water/sewer utility operations - directly comparable in scale and service mix to Rensselaer.
• City of Troy, New York: Adjacent Capital-Region city of comparable size that supplies treated water to Rensselaer and independently operates full municipal-service departments (police, fire, water, sewer, public works), making it the closest functional and geographic peer.

Others

• Empire State Development: New York State economic-development agency that partners with the city's IDA to deliver incentives, grants, and programs - an enabling ecosystem participant rather than a direct service competitor.

Regional players

• Town of Bethlehem, New York: Capital-Region municipality operating full police, water, sewer, planning/zoning, and recreation services; comparable in services but organized as a town rather than a city.
• Town of East Greenbush, New York: Adjacent Rensselaer-County municipality whose residents share service-area overlap and regional-planning coordination with Rensselaer, but which operates as a town government rather than a city.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/rensselaernys

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Rensselaer