City of De Soto

What City of De Soto does

The City of De Soto is a third-class municipal government in Jefferson County, Missouri, incorporated in 1869 and operating under a Council-Manager form. It serves approximately 6,400 residents across a 4.5-square-mile footprint with services delivered through city departments including Police, Fire, Public Works, Water, Wastewater Treatment, Parks and Recreation, and Code Enforcement/Animal Control. The city operates 43 miles of water lines serving 2,800+ utility accounts, 30+ miles of sewer mains with nine lift stations, a wastewater treatment facility built in 1986 (1 million gallons/day average, 3 million gallons/day capacity), and a new 500,000-gallon water tower. Technical differentiators include high-intensity UV disinfection (eliminating chlorine during the recreational season), cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) sewer lining that extends pipe life 75-100 years without excavation, NFPA color-coded fire hydrants, and Everbridge emergency notification integration. The city is the historic home of a Union Pacific freight car shop, the area's largest employer, and traces its origins to a railroad depot established in 1859.

The city's revenue model is a hybrid of recurring utility fees (monthly water/sewer billing for 2,800+ users, transitioning to new billing software in April 2026), one-time licensing and permit fees (building, business, demolition, fireworks, pool, blasting), transactional court fines (now processed through Jefferson County Circuit Court since January 2020), and small professional service fees (animal adoption deposits, veterinary services). Permits are priced by unit (e.g., $0.44/sf residential new construction, $50 minimums, $350 fireworks sale) with a documented 3% annual escalation on April 1. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through City Hall (17 Boyd Street), an online portal (Cloud Permit, BSA Online), and dedicated department phone lines; marketing and engagement run through a CivicPlus website plus five Facebook pages for City, Police, Fire, Public Works, and Kennel. Award history is concentrated in wastewater operations (State of Missouri Operator/Facility of the Year in 1991, 1994, 1997, 2001; Lakeside Corporation National Award in 1994; MWEA Safety Award in 1997; Residuals Management Award in 1996).

Name

City of De Soto

Legal name

City of De Soto

Website

https://desotomo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1869

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The City of De Soto is a third-class municipal government in Jefferson County, Missouri, serving approximately 6,400 residents with water, sewer, public safety, parks, and code enforcement services across a 4.5-square-mile footprint.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Government Services

NAICS

Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310), Other General Government Support (921190), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Mayor/City Manager & General Administration (BPAIACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG), Public Works & Municipal Infrastructure (Streets, Stormwater, Facilities) (BPAIACAF), Public Works Departments (Streets, Bridges, Stormwater, Fleet, Maintenance) (BPAIALAD), Water Resources Administration (Watersheds, Rivers, Groundwater) (BPAIAMAE)

Keywords

• Municipal water services
• Wastewater treatment services
• Public safety services
• Parks and recreation
• Building permits inspections

Headquarters

HQ city

De Soto

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Utility Billing (Water and Sewer): Monthly water and sewer fees based on water consumption, serving over 2800 users. System transitioning to new billing software in April 2026.
2. Licenses and Permits: Building permits, business licenses, occupancy permits, demolition permits, fence permits, pool permits, fireworks permits, blasting permits
3. Police Services and Fines: Court information, traffic citations, and municipal court fines processed through Jefferson County Circuit Court
4. Animal Control Services: $50 non-refundable adoption deposit for animals, veterinary services at discounted rates for adopters

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The City of De Soto is a municipal government that delivers essential local government services to residents and businesses, including water and wastewater utilities, public safety (police and fire), public works, parks and recreation, building permits and inspections, code enforcement, animal control, and emergency notification services. It also operates an online utility billing and payment system accessible to residential and commercial customers.

Product overview

The City of De Soto operates a unified municipal services platform centered on its official website (desotomo.com), which serves as the primary digital gateway for all city services. The platform provides direct access to utility billing and payment systems, online building permits, emergency notifications via Everbridge, and various municipal departments including Police, Fire, Water, Public Works, Parks & Recreation, and Code Enforcement. Residents can access over 56 acres of parks, wastewater treatment services, animal control, and numerous online forms. The city utilizes Cloud Permit for building applications, BSA Online for utility payments, and Everbridge for emergency communications. Services are primarily accessed through the CivicPlus-powered website portal with some services requiring in-person visits to City Hall.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water Department Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Fire Department smoke detector program has reduced residential fires by nearly 50%
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Integration4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Wal-MartminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the smoke detector program where Wal-Mart provides free smoke detectors that are installed by the fire department. This program has reduced residential fires by nearly 50%.
• National Shooting Sports Foundation / Project ChildSafeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFree gun locks are distributed at City Hall through partnership with National Shooting Sports Foundation and Project ChildSafe program for safe firearm storage.
• Union Pacific RailroadminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnion Pacific freight car shop is the town's largest employer. Property was obtained from Union Pacific for Railroad Memorial location. Materials donated for memorial construction.
• Jefferson County Circuit CourtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince January 1, 2020, De Soto Municipal Court was dissolved and all city ordinance violations are now prosecuted in Jefferson County Circuit Court Division 12.
• Jefferson County SheriffcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional law enforcement collaboration including Jefferson County Municipal Enforcement Group, Jefferson County S.E.R.T.T. Team, and Greater St. Louis Major Case Squad.
• De Soto Public LibraryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLibrary Board governance with city oversight. Library at 712 S. Main Street operates as a community resource.
• De Soto School DistrictminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership for school district connections and community events. Soccer Park Complex adjacent to Vineland School.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• City of Bonne Terre: Small Missouri municipality with similar Council-Manager governance and full municipal service delivery. Comparable as a peer city of similar population scale operating a water/sewer utility and public safety departments.
• City of Festus: Adjacent Jefferson County, Missouri city of comparable size and Council-Manager governance, providing similar municipal services including water, sewer, police, fire, and public works. Directly comparable as a peer city in the same labor market.
• City of Sullivan: Missouri city straddling Franklin/Crawford counties with similar population range and municipal service delivery model. Comparable as a peer small Missouri city providing water, sewer, electric, and public safety services.
• City of Herculaneum: Jefferson County, Missouri city with similar small-city governance structure and municipal service mix. Comparable as a peer municipality managing water distribution, wastewater, and public safety for a small resident base.
• City of Pevely: Small Jefferson County, Missouri city with Council-Manager governance and similar municipal service portfolio. Comparable as a peer city in the same geographic/economic region with similar scale.
• City of Pacific: Nearby Missouri municipality in the St. Louis metro region with similar population scale and municipal service portfolio. Comparable as a peer small city providing water, sewer, public safety, and recreation services.
• City of Crystal City: Jefferson County, Missouri city of comparable scale with municipal water, sewer, and public safety operations. Comparable as a peer small city with administrative structures similar to De Soto.
• City of Hillsboro: Jefferson County seat of comparable size with full municipal services and Council-Manager government. Comparable as a peer Missouri municipality offering utility, public safety, and public works services to a small resident base.

Others

• CivicPlus: Vendor that powers De Soto's municipal website platform. Comparable only as an adjacent/ecosystem participant in the municipal government technology stack, not a direct peer.

Broad incumbents

• Jefferson County, Missouri: The county government serving De Soto and surrounding municipalities. Comparable as a broader public-sector entity offering overlapping services (court, public safety, planning) and serving as the higher-level government partner for De Soto.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cityofdesotomo

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 De Soto