City of Auburn

What City of Auburn does

The City of Auburn is a municipal government entity headquartered at 144 Tichenor Ave in Auburn, Alabama, founded in 1836 and structured under the authority of the State of Alabama. It delivers core public services to city residents, local businesses, and institutional partners, including water and wastewater treatment, public safety (police and fire), parks and recreation, solid waste management, road infrastructure, and community development programs. Operational scale is mid-sized for a U.S. city, with 251–500 employees, governance divided across 8 wards, and citizen participation through 22 boards and commissions involving 122 residents. The City maintains a single primary headquarters in Auburn, supplemented by a Parks & Recreation office (Harris Center) and the Bailey-Alexander Water and Sewer Complex, which houses the H.C. Morgan Water Pollution Control Facility — a conventional activated sludge wastewater treatment plant processing 2.55 billion gallons annually and recognized repeatedly by the Alabama Water Environment Association (2017–2023) for plant excellence.

Revenue is sourced from property taxes, city utility billing (water/sewer), business licenses and city taxes, and parking-related fees, with major capital funded through bond issuances — most recently a $203.8 million general obligation warrant for Plains High School construction. Bond ratings are strong at AA+ (S&P) and Aa2 (Moody's), reflecting disciplined fiscal management. The City is currently executing a multi-front expansion strategy: economic development wins (Vulcaflex $70M, Kamtec Auto USA $9.2M), major school construction, and a generational leadership transition across Engineering, Public Safety, Public Works, Planning, and Parks & Recreation. Operational partnerships include Veolia Water North America for wastewater facility operations, Auburn University's Water Resources Center and Bee Lab for environmental initiatives, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for grant-funded watershed improvements. Distribution is hybrid: in-person at City Hall, online via self-service portals and auburnal.gov, and through a multi-channel communication stack (Open Line newsletter, eNotifier, social media, podcast).

Name

City of Auburn

Legal name

City of Auburn

Website

https://auburnalabama.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1836

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The City of Auburn is an Alabama municipal government providing utilities (water/wastewater), public safety, parks and recreation, and infrastructure services to its residents, local businesses, and partner institutions, with strong bond ratings and active economic development efforts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Government Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Utilities (221), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241), Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (925), Administration of Economic Programs (926)

SIC

Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900), Water Supply (4941), 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 industries

Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services (BPAIACAI), Planning, Zoning, Permitting & Code Enforcement (BPAIACAE), Community Safety Administration (Fire/EMS, Emergency Management) (BPAIACAL), State/Provincial Transportation, Roads & Public Works Administration (BPAIABAK)

Keywords

• Municipal government services
• Wastewater treatment operations
• Public utilities management
• Parks and recreation
• Public safety services

Headquarters

HQ city

Auburn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Property Taxes: Property taxes form a core component of municipal revenue for funding city operations, services, and infrastructure.
2. City Utilities Billing: Water, sewer, and other utility services billed to residents and businesses.
3. Business Licenses and City Taxes: Licensing fees and taxes collected from businesses operating within Auburn city limits.
4. Parking Fees: Revenue from parking tickets and downtown parking facilities.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The City of Auburn is a municipal government that delivers essential public services to residents and businesses within Auburn, Alabama, including water and wastewater utilities, public safety (police and fire), parks and recreation programs, solid waste and road infrastructure, business licensing, and community development. Operations are funded through property taxes, utility billing, business licenses, parking fees, and bond issuances, and delivered through city-operated departments, the H.C. Morgan Water Pollution Control Facility, and online self-service portals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• City Utilities Billing (Water, Sewer, and Other Utility Services) Billing and customer service for water, sewer, and other city-provided utilities, available to residents and businesses within Auburn city limits through an online self-service portal and in-person at City Hall.
• Wastewater Treatment and Collection (H.C. Morgan Water Pollution Control Facility) Municipal wastewater treatment service that uses conventional activated sludge treatment with screening, grit removal, biological treatment, secondary clarification, ultraviolet light disinfection, and solids thickening/digestion/dewatering to treat wastewater to secondary effluent standards for the Auburn community.
• Public Safety Services (Police, Fire, and Emergency Management) Police, fire, and emergency management services delivered by the City of Auburn's Public Safety department to residents, businesses, and visitors within city limits.
• Parks and Recreation Programs and Facilities Operated parks, recreation facilities, trails, and community programs (including events and the annual Fishing Rodeo) for Auburn residents and visitors, with offices at the Harris Center and coordination of the Greenspace Advisory Board.
• Business Licensing and City Tax Administration Issuance of business licenses and collection of city business taxes from businesses operating within Auburn city limits, accessible online and at City Hall.
• Parking and Traffic Citation Services
• Open Records / Public Records Request Service
• Auburn FixIt Citizen Issue Reporting
• Watershed Improvement and Stormwater Management Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Total treated wastewater: 2.55 billion gallons annually (2025)

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Veolia Water North America - South, LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Veolia Water North America operates and maintains the City's wastewater treatment facilities and pumpstations. The City owns the facilities while Veolia provides operational services under contract. Veolia is one of the largest environmental contract operations groups in the world.
• Auburn University's Water Resources CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with the City for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant project to design and install landscaping and provide workshops for the public about bioretention, stormwater management, and water quality monitoring.
• Auburn University's Bee LabminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with the City for the watershed improvement project providing expertise on native pollinators.
• Westervelt Ecological ResourcesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with the City for the watershed improvement project to design and install bioretention cells.
• Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM)coreOthersEstablishes monitoring and discharge limits for wastewater treatment facilities through NPDES discharge permits.
• Girl ScoutsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipated in planting over 2,000 longleaf pine seedlings at the H.C. Morgan facility as part of the Girl Scouts' Million Tree Challenge.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• City of Huntsville, Alabama: Alabama's largest city and a major industrial and aerospace hub. Comparable as another Alabama municipality pursuing industrial recruitment and operating water/wastewater utilities, but larger in scale and more manufacturing-diversified than Auburn.
• City of Tuscaloosa, Alabama: Alabama municipality anchored by the University of Alabama. Comparable to Auburn as a mid-sized college town with a university-driven economy, similar utility and public safety service profile, and parallel credit dynamics.
• City of Birmingham, Alabama: Alabama's largest city and economic center. Comparable in governance structure (council-manager, utilities billing, public safety), though substantially larger scale and more diverse industrial base.

Direct peers

• City of Boulder, Colorado: Colorado municipality anchored by the University of Colorado Boulder. Comparable university-driven economy with strong emphasis on environmental programs (watershed, parks), utilities, and sustainability — directly parallels Auburn's bioretention and watershed initiatives.
• City of Norman, Oklahoma: Oklahoma municipality anchored by the University of Oklahoma. Comparable mid-sized college-town profile, university-anchored economy, and similar scale of public-safety and parks/recreation services.
• City of Athens-Clarke County, Georgia: Unified city-county government anchored by the University of Georgia. Directly comparable to Auburn in scale (~120K residents), university-driven economy, mid-tier municipal bond rating profile, and similarly structured utility and parks operations.
• City of Auburn, Alabama (Self-reference benchmark via comparables list): Note: peer list focuses on external comparables; relevant adjacent comparables include City of Opelika, AL (immediate neighboring municipality sharing the Auburn-Opelika metropolitan area, water/sewer coordination, and labor shed).
• City of College Station, Texas: Texas municipality anchored by Texas A&M University. Comparable in scale (~120K residents), university-driven tax base, council-manager governance, and parallel utilities/parking fee revenue streams.
• City of Tallahassee, Florida: Florida state capital anchored by Florida State University and Florida A&M. Comparable university-driven economy with parallel utility (city-owned electric, gas, water), governance scale, and similar bond rating profile.
• City of Gainesville, Florida: Florida municipality anchored by the University of Florida. Comparable mid-sized college-town economy, GRU-owned utility operations, and similar public-safety and parks service profile.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cityofauburnal
• Facebookfacebook.com/CityofAuburnAL
• Instagraminstagram.com/COAParksandRec

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 Auburn