Myrtle Cruz

What Myrtle Cruz does

Myrtle Cruz, Inc. is a privately-held professional services firm founded in 1978 in Houston, Texas, providing specialized bookkeeping services to Municipal Utility Districts (MUDs) and other Texas special purpose districts. The company currently serves 363 districts, including MUDs, Emergency Service Districts, non-profit water supply corporations, volunteer fire departments, and redevelopment districts, primarily across the Houston metropolitan area (Harris, Fort Bend, Brazoria, and Travis counties). Its core offering is recurring bookkeeping and financial reporting tailored to Texas water district regulatory requirements, including general ledger preparation, audit support, and attendance/preparation for monthly district board meetings — President Mary Jarmon alone handles over 30 districts monthly.

The firm operates on a custom proprietary bookkeeping software system originally designed by Vice President Lary Lilley beginning in 1980 and modified over the decades to accommodate changing technology. Headcount stands at approximately 50 employees, structured into a 6-member Board of Directors, ~19 bookkeepers, and support functions including Administrative Assistants, Investment Department, Bank Reconciliation, Posting, Filing, Accounts Payable, and IT. The firm is family-owned and governed, with the Cruz and Lilley families represented in executive positions (Chairman Myrtle Cruz, President Mary Jarmon, Secretary-Treasurer Lester Lilley, IT Manager Lester Lilley Jr.).

Revenue is generated through recurring professional services contracts with Texas special purpose districts; pricing is not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is relationship-driven and reputation-based, leveraging founder Myrtle Cruz's status as a founding member of the Association of Water Board Directors – Texas and the firm's 47-year track record. No external funding, M&A activity, or geographic expansion beyond Texas has been documented. The firm does not disclose revenue, has no AI/ML capabilities evident in its technology stack, and operates as a single-service provider focused exclusively on district bookkeeping.

Name

Myrtle Cruz

Legal name

Myrtle Cruz, Inc.

Website

https://mcruz.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Myrtle Cruz, Inc. is a Houston-based, privately-held bookkeeping firm founded in 1978 that provides specialized financial reporting and bookkeeping services to 363 Texas Municipal Utility Districts and other special purpose districts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Bookkeeping and Accounting Services

NAICS

Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services (54121)

SIC

Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374)

akta.pro primary industry

Accounting & Bookkeeping Services (BPAHABAC)

Keywords

• Municipal utility district bookkeeping
• Special purpose district accounting
• District financial reporting
• Utility district bookkeeping
• Outsourced district finance

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Bookkeeping Services: Professional bookkeeping services provided to Municipal Utility Districts, Emergency Service Districts, non-profit water supply corporations, volunteer fire departments, and redevelopment districts. Services are provided on an ongoing basis to 363 districts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Myrtle Cruz, Inc. delivers outsourced bookkeeping, accounting, accounts payable, financial reporting, and budget preparation services to Municipal Utility Districts (MUDs) and other special purpose districts in Texas. The firm operates as a dedicated financial back-office for district boards, managing day-to-day ledger activity and producing the reports required by district governance and regulatory bodies.

Product overview

Myrtle Cruz, Inc. provides specialized bookkeeping services for municipal and special purpose districts. The company operates as a single-service provider focused exclusively on financial record-keeping and district management support. The core offering encompasses bookkeeping services for five district types: Municipal Utility Districts (MUDs), Emergency Services Districts, Non-Profit Water Supply Corporations, Volunteer Fire Departments, and Redevelopment Districts. Currently representing 363 districts, the company has served the Texas water district industry since 1978, with services delivered through a team of professional bookkeepers, administrative staff, and an IT department. The company also developed proprietary computer programs for district report input and maintains internal departments for investment management, bank reconciliation, posting, filing, and accounts payable processing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MUD Bookkeeping and Accounting Services Ongoing outsourced bookkeeping, general ledger maintenance, accounts payable processing, and financial reporting for Texas Municipal Utility Districts and special purpose districts.
• District Financial Reporting and Budget Preparation Preparation of periodic financial statements, budget documents, and compliance reports required by district boards, auditors, and regulatory bodies for Texas MUDs and special purpose districts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves 363 Municipal and Special Purpose Districts

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Association of Water Board Directors – TexascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member organization. Myrtle Cruz was a founding member of A.W.B.D. - Texas, which represents water board directors in Texas. The company maintains close ties with this association and staff serve on its Advisory Council.
• North Harris County Regional Water AuthorityminorOthersListed as a useful link, indicating a working relationship with this regional water authority.
• West Harris County Regional Water AuthorityminorOthersListed as a useful link, indicating a working relationship with this regional water authority.
• Texas Commission on Environmental QualityminorOthersListed as a useful link. TCEQ is the state regulatory agency for environmental quality in Texas.
• Texas Water Development BoardminorOthersListed as a useful link. TWDB is the state agency responsible for water planning and infrastructure funding.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Tyler Technologies: Major provider of software and services to U.S. municipalities, including financial and utility billing systems that overlap with Myrtle Cruz's proprietary MUD reporting software and represent a technology-side competitive threat.
• CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA): National accounting firm with one of the largest U.S. government practices, serving municipalities and special districts with audit, advisory, and outsourced finance services — competing for the same Texas district clients at greater scale.
• Whitley Penn: Texas-based full-service CPA and advisory firm with a public sector practice that audits and serves municipal and special districts, overlapping with Myrtle Cruz's clients in Texas.
• Eide Bailly LLP: Large U.S. accounting and advisory firm with a government services group that serves municipalities and special districts, representing a scaled alternative to Myrtle Cruz's niche district bookkeeping.
• FORVIS (formerly BKD): Top-10 U.S. accounting firm with a dedicated government and public sector practice providing audit, tax, and advisory services to municipalities and special districts, a broader competitor for district financial work.

Direct peers

• Poston & Associates: Texas-based bookkeeping and accounting firm serving Municipal Utility Districts and special purpose districts, directly competing with Myrtle Cruz in the same Houston-area niche market for district financial services.

Emerging players

• Allen Boone Humphries Robinson LLP: Texas law firm that serves as general counsel to many of the same MUDs that Myrtle Cruz bookkeeps, making it a closely adjacent ecosystem participant and occasional indirect competitor in district services.
• Springsted Incorporated: Public sector advisory firm providing financial planning, bond advisory, and management consulting to municipalities and special districts, comparable to Myrtle Cruz's specialized district finance focus but consulting-led rather than bookkeeping-led.
• McCall, Parkhurst & Horton LLLP: Texas-based law firm with a substantial public finance and special district practice, often working alongside MUD bookkeepers like Myrtle Cruz and offering competing financial/advisory services to the same client base.

Others

• Pilot.com: Tech-enabled outsourced bookkeeping and accounting firm for SMBs — not a district-specific competitor, but representative of the broader trend toward software-driven bookkeeping that may eventually encroach on niche district bookkeeping.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Myrtle Cruz