City of Berea

What City of Berea does

The City of Berea is a municipal government entity incorporated in 1890 in Madison County, Kentucky, serving approximately 17,797 residents, businesses, and visitors within its incorporated limits. It delivers essential civic services through eight operational departments—Administration, Finance, Codes & Planning, Fire, Police, Parks & Recreation, Public Works, and Utilities—including public safety (ISO 2/2Y fire protection rating, achieved May 2015), electric, water, and sewer utilities via Berea Municipal Utilities, solid waste collection, parks and recreation, business licensing, and economic development. The city employs 140+ full-time staff across departments and operates two 24/7-manned fire stations handling roughly 1,000 emergency runs annually across a 56-square-mile response area, with 25 career and 24 volunteer firefighters.

The city's technology stack is conventional municipal IT: a centralized GIS/MS4/Floodplain management system built on ArcGIS for spatial data, zoning, and FEMA flood hazard mapping; an OpenGov-based online permitting and licensing portal covering contractor registration, utility billing, business licensing, permits and inspections, planning/zoning, commercial plan review, code enforcement, and floodplain/MS4 permits; a VelocityPayment utility billing system; and ReCollect for solid waste scheduling. The interactive GIS viewer is publicly accessible for address-level zoning, future land use, and flood hazard lookups. No AI/ML capabilities, public APIs, or proprietary technology products are disclosed.

Revenue is generated through a tax-and-fee structure typical of small U.S. municipalities: an annual property tax of $0.089 per $100 of assessed value (with a 2% early-payment discount and post-December 31 penalty), municipal utility receipts, a $25 initial business license fee with regulated annual license fees by business type, a 5% regulatory fee on alcoholic beverage sales (added in 2023 following the voter-approved transition to a 'wet' jurisdiction), and a tiered 911 service fee ($3.50 to $125 per month) effective January 2026. Customer relationships are direct-to-resident, direct-to-business, and direct-to-visitor through in-person City Hall service (Monday–Friday 7:30am–4:00pm), online portals, and physical utility and parks facilities. Governance is a Mayor-Council structure (Mayor Bruce Fraley, part-time; City Administrator Shawn Sandlin, full-time, appointed March 2025).

Name

City of Berea

Legal name

City of Berea

Website

https://bereaky.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1890

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The City of Berea is a Kentucky municipal government incorporated in 1890, serving approximately 17,797 residents and businesses with public safety, electric/water/sewer utilities, permitting, parks and recreation, and economic development services across eight departments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Berea

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Property Tax: City of Berea property tax at $0.089 per $100 of assessed value, billed annually with due dates and penalty structures.
2. Business Licenses: Initial business license fee of $25, with regulated license fees for specific business types including peddlers, solicitors, pawnbrokers, billiard tables, flea markets, and vending machines.
3. Alcoholic Beverage Regulatory Fees: 5% regulatory fee on sale of alcoholic beverages, submitted quarterly by licensed businesses.
4. Municipal Utilities Revenue: Revenue from electric, water, and sewer services provided through Berea Municipal Utilities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The City of Berea is a municipal government entity founded in 1890 that provides essential city services to approximately 17,797 residents, businesses, and visitors. Its core offerings include public safety (police, fire with ISO 2/2Y rating), municipal utilities (water, electric, wastewater), parks and recreation, public works, code enforcement, business licensing and permitting, and property tax administration. Berea operates as Kentucky's only certified Kentucky Trail Town and is home to Berea College, operating as the Folk Arts and Crafts Capital of Kentucky.

Product overview

The City of Berea is a municipal government entity, not a technology product company. Its website provides access to civic services and administrative functions rather than a technology product portfolio. Services available through the website include: online permitting and licensing via OpenGov and ViewPointCloud portals, utility bill payments through VelocityPayment, solid waste scheduling via ReCollect, and interactive GIS mapping through ArcGIS. The city operates various municipal departments including Fire, Police, Parks & Recreation, Public Works, Codes & Planning, Finance, Human Resources, and Business & Economic Development that provide services to residents and businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Police Services

Quantifiable outcome

• ISO 2/2Y fire protection rating achieved May 2015
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Greater LEX (Kentucky's Bluegrass Region)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Berea is a proud member of Greater LEX, Kentucky's Bluegrass Region economic development initiative. This partnership supports regional economic development, business attraction, and marketing efforts for the Berea area.
• Madison County Community Fund BoardminorOthersThe Madison County Community Fund Board created the Madison County COVID-19 Response Fund to provide critical support to vulnerable populations affected by the pandemic. Grants provided to nonprofit organizations delivering food, healthcare, childcare, transportation and elderly services.
• Kentucky River FoothillscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKentucky River Foothills serves as the Community Action Agency providing transportation (Foothills Express), COVID-19 community survey coordination, health coverage enrollment assistance, and various community support services in Madison, Estill, Powell, and Clark Counties.
• Blue Grass Community FoundationminorOthersManages the Madison County COVID-19 Response Fund accepting online donations and checks for charitable giving to support community relief efforts.
• Kentucky Small Business Development Center (SBDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKentucky SBDC provides small business support during the COVID-19 crisis, offering contingency planning, financial management tools, and business coaching via Zoom or phone. Available to assist business owners with planning and resources.
• Small Business AdministrationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSBA resumed acceptance of PPP loan applications to support eligible borrowers during COVID-19. City directs businesses to SBA for paycheck protection program information and loan applications.
• Kentucky Cabinet for Economic DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Cabinet's project managers provide business development support, insight, assistance and guidance during COVID-19, including connections to KY Innovation staff and other cabinet resources.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• City of Nicholasville, KY: City of Nicholasville is a Kentucky municipal government of approximately 31,000 residents operating electric, water, and wastewater utilities, public safety, parks, and economic development. Slightly larger than Berea but directly comparable in service mix and regulatory environment.
• City of Lancaster, KY: City of Lancaster is a small Kentucky municipal government of approximately 3,800 residents. Comparable to Berea as a small full-service Kentucky municipality, providing a benchmark for the lower end of the size distribution.
• City of Paris, KY: City of Paris is a smaller Kentucky municipal government of approximately 9,000 residents operating comparable core services including utilities, public safety, and parks. Useful as a comparable for assessing the cost structure of a smaller Kentucky city with a similar service model.
• City of Danville, KY: City of Danville serves a comparable population of approximately 17,000 and is a full-service Kentucky municipality with electric, water, and sewer utilities, fire/police, parks, and codes & planning. Nearly identical size and service portfolio to Berea, providing a strong benchmark for operating cost and revenue performance.
• City of Georgetown, KY: City of Georgetown is a fast-growing Kentucky municipality of approximately 37,000 residents with a full-service municipal structure including utilities, public safety, and economic development. Its growth trajectory and similar full-service model make it a relevant comparable for understanding how small Kentucky cities scale services with population growth.
• City of Richmond, KY: City of Richmond is the seat of Madison County and a direct neighbor of Berea, sharing the same labor market and economic region. It operates a comparable municipal service portfolio at a slightly larger scale (~37,000 residents), making it a useful benchmark for regional service delivery and revenue dynamics.
• City of Mt. Sterling, KY: City of Mt. Sterling is a Kentucky municipal government of approximately 7,000 residents operating comparable services including utilities, public safety, and parks. Provides a benchmark for smaller-city operations in the same regional economy as Berea.
• City of Winchester, KY: City of Winchester is a Kentucky municipal government serving approximately 18,000 residents, nearly identical in scale to Berea. It operates a similar full-service municipal structure including utilities, public safety, parks, and economic development, making it a direct comparable for assessing service delivery and budget benchmarks.

Others

• Madison County Fiscal Court: Madison County Fiscal Court is the county government that operates alongside Berea within the same labor market and Economic Development region. Overlapping jurisdiction on zoning, roads, and public services makes it a relevant operational counterpart rather than a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government: Lexington-Fayette is a larger consolidated urban county government in the same Bluegrass Region, serving as the regional economic anchor. Relevant as a scaled-up comparable for understanding how a Kentucky municipal government matures and broadens service scope as size increases.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cityofbereaky
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC_R1fiufDcwBUelB9XmsEUw
• Facebookfacebook.com/bereakygov

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Berea