City of Needles

What City of Needles does

The City of Needles is a California charter city located in San Bernardino County at the tri-state confluence of California, Arizona, and Nevada along the Colorado River and historic Route 66. It serves a resident population of approximately 5,200 through a vertically integrated set of municipal services delivered by 51-100 employees, including electric, water, and wastewater utilities operated through the Needles Public Utility Authority (NPUA), housing programs administered via the Housing Authority (Section 8, Public Housing, and VASH), and public safety delivered under contract with San Bernardino County. The city exercises charter-authority regulatory powers including land use control and taxation.

The city's revenue model combines property tax on a $491 million assessed base (up 44.6%), utility fees from NPUA, intergovernmental housing transfers, and newer instruments including a 10% Transient Occupancy Tax implemented in December 2022. Economic development has been deliberately diversified: a cannabis industry cluster has attracted more than 20 new businesses and 583 jobs at an estimated $50 million scale, while tourism infrastructure — notably the $10 million El Garces Hotel restoration and an OHV Master Plan — targets gateway visitor traffic supported by OmniTrans and Amtrak connectivity. Janet Jernigan has served as Mayor since 2022, and Patrick Martinez was appointed City Manager in October 2023.

Strategically, Needles is positioning its regulatory moat and geographic position to convert a small residential tax base into a broader visitor- and industry-funded revenue stream. The combination of utility monopoly, new tax instruments, cannabis-led diversification, and tourism reinvestment points to a municipality actively engineering revenue growth within the constraints of a small population.

Name

City of Needles

Legal name

City of Needles

Website

https://cityofneedles.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The City of Needles is a California charter municipality serving ~5,200 residents with electric, water, and wastewater utilities via NPUA, housing programs, and contracted public safety, while diversifying revenue through a cannabis industry cluster and a 10% Transient Occupancy Tax.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Government Services

NAICS

Sewage Treatment Facilities (221320), Waste Collection (56211), Waste Treatment and Disposal (56221)

SIC

Sanitary Services (4950), Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial & Office Waste Collection (Non-hazardous) (EUAIAGAA)

Keywords

• Municipal government services
• Public utilities
• Community development
• Public safety services
• Parks and recreation

Headquarters

HQ city

Needles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Property Taxes: The city collects property taxes from residential and commercial properties within city limits to fund general municipal operations and services.
2. Transient Occupancy Tax: A 10% transient occupancy tax on short-term rentals, hotels, motels, and vacation rentals, collected by property operators and remitted to the city monthly.
3. Business Licenses: Annual business license fees for general businesses, contractors, subcontractors, and short-term rentals. Renewals begin July 1 each fiscal year.
4. Utility Billing: The city provides electricity, water, wastewater, and trash/recycling services to approximately 5,000 accounts with billing managed through the Finance Department.
5. Animal Shelter Services: Adoption fees ($50 altered, $32 unaltered), vaccination fees ($20/shot), boarding fees ($13.50/day), impound fees, and euthanasia services.
6. Permit Fees: Building permits, zoning permits, conditional use permits, variance applications, and various development-related fees.
7. Transportation Permits: Oversize load transportation permits with fees of $16 + 3% per load, or $75 + 3% annual permit, plus additional charges for special assistance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The City of Needles is a Charter City and municipal government entity that provides essential public services to residents and businesses in Needles, California. Its offerings include utilities through the Needles Public Utility Authority (NPUA), housing services through the Housing Authority, parks and recreation, public safety, and general administrative services.

Product overview

The City of Needles operates as a Charter City providing comprehensive municipal services to approximately 5,200 residents. The city's service portfolio consists of integrated public service departments rather than a unified software product: Development Services (planning, building, code enforcement, engineering) manages private development through an iworQ-powered permit center; Utilities are operated through the Needles Public Utility Authority (NPUA) providing electric, water, wastewater, and trash services; Parks and Recreation maintains parks, aquatic center, golf course, and recreation facilities; Community Services includes animal shelter, senior center, cemetery, and transit. The city also offers an online bill payment system and a PlanetBids procurement portal for vendor submissions. The city's economic development initiatives have attracted cannabis industry investment including cultivation, manufacturing, and dispensary operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Needles Public Utility Authority (NPUA): Municipal utility authority managing electricity, water, and wastewater services for the City of Needles
• Housing Authority of the City of Needles
• Needles Public Financing Authority (NPFA)
• El Garces Intermodal Facility
• Rivers Edge Golf Course

Products and services

• Public Utilities Utility services provided through the Needles Public Utility Authority (NPUA), including water, sewer, and electricity services for residents and businesses in Needles, California.
• Housing Services Affordable housing and related housing services administered through the Housing Authority for residents of Needles, California.
• Parks and Recreation Public parks, recreational programs, and facilities managed through the parks and facilities authority for residents and visitors of Needles, California.
• Public Safety Services Police, fire, and emergency response services for residents and businesses within the city limits of Needles, California.

Quantifiable outcome

• Property values increased to $491 million (44.6% increase from 2017 Assessment Roll)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• San Bernardino CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSan Bernardino County provides essential services to Needles including Fire Department services (Station #32), Sheriff's Department law enforcement, and election consolidation. The city is in the 3rd District represented by Supervisor Dawn Rowe.
• San Bernardino County Fire DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe city contracts with San Bernardino County Fire for fire protection and emergency services. Fire Station #32 is located at 1113 E. Broadway Ave. Emergency: 911, Non-Emergency: (760) 326.2833.
• San Bernardino County Sheriff's DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe city contracts with the Sheriff's Department for law enforcement services. Needles Patrol Station is located at 1111 Bailey Ave. Non-Emergency: (760) 326-9200.
• OmniTranscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOmniTrans provided funding for the $10 million restoration of the El Garces Hotel and Santa Fe Depot into the El Garces Intermodal Facility, a joint project with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).
• California Joint Powers Insurance Authority (CJPIA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe city is a member of CJPIA for risk management and insurance coverage, which provides general liability, property coverage, and other risk management services.
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHUD authorizes the Housing Authority of the City of Needles to operate housing programs including Public Housing and Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8) and VASH for veterans.
• AmtrakminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmtrak operates passenger rail service through the El Garces Intermodal Facility, connecting Needles to regional transit network.
• Bullhead Area Transit System (BATS)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional transit provider connecting to Needles Area Transit at the El Garces Intermodal Facility for coordinated regional transportation.
• Laughlin Southern Nevada Transit Coalition (SNTC)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional transit provider with planned connections to the El Garces Intermodal Facility for connectivity to tourist destinations and employers.
• Friends of El GarcesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity group dedicated to preserving and revitalizing the historic El Garces Intermodal Transportation Facility, collaborating with the city on restoration and community input.
• Needles Downtown Business AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness organization collaborating with the city and Friends of El Garces on economic development and historic preservation projects.
• Needles Economic Development CorporationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEconomic development organization working with the city on business attraction and development initiatives.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Barstow, California: Barstow is a small inland San Bernardino County city with a comparable logistics-corridor profile and similar reliance on transportation/transit revenue. Comparable as a peer for high-desert small-city municipal operations, although larger in scale.
• Blythe, California: Blythe is a small inland California city on the Colorado River with a similar rural/high-desert economic profile and limited population base. It is directly comparable as a Riverside County neighbor with overlapping transportation-corridor and agricultural-economic dynamics.
• Twentynine Palms, California: Twentynine Palms is a small high-desert San Bernardino County city with a comparable small-population economic profile, federal/military economic anchors, and similar service-delivery constraints. Comparable as a peer for fiscal capacity and small-city governance.
• Parker, Arizona: Parker is a small Colorado River town with comparable population scale, tourism draw, and gateway positioning between California and Arizona. It shares Needles' reliance on recreation-based tax revenue and rural municipal service delivery.
• Lake Havasu City, Arizona: Lake Havasu City is a small Arizona municipality with a Colorado River recreation base, tourism economy, and TOT-driven revenue model that mirrors Needles' economic foundation. Comparable for visitor-driven municipal finance and resort-adjacent service delivery.
• Yucca Valley, California: Yucca Valley is a small San Bernardino County high-desert town with comparable population scale, limited tax base, and rural service-delivery challenges. Comparable as a peer for small-town municipal operations in the same county.
• Quartzsite, Arizona: Quartzsite is a very small Arizona desert town with a population scale (~4,000) and rural/transient-tourism economy closely comparable to Needles' 5,200-resident base. Comparable as a small-municipality peer for fiscal constraints and seasonal tourism revenue patterns.
• Bullhead City, Arizona: Bullhead City is a small California/Arizona border municipality on the Colorado River with a comparable population base, tourism economy, and gateway role to Laughlin. It offers a directly comparable benchmark for utility operations, TOT-style revenue, and small-city economic development strategy.

Regional players

• Laughlin, Nevada (unincorporated CDP): Laughlin is the regional tourism anchor adjacent to Bullhead City across the Colorado River, with comparable visitor-economy dynamics that affect Needles' cross-border tourism and TOT capture. Served by Clark County rather than as a city, it provides a regional comparison for tourism revenue concentration.
• Kingman, Arizona: Kingman is a small Arizona Route 66 corridor city further east along I-40, sharing the heritage-tourism and logistics-corridor characteristics relevant to Needles' positioning. Comparable as a regional peer for corridor-based municipal economics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCbTupdUbelENQkH-Q-2jobA
• Facebookfacebook.com/people/City-of-Needles-Parks-and-Recreation/61561373124755
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/city-of-needles

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries3 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 Needles