City of Lowell, Michigan

What City of Lowell, Michigan does

The City of Lowell, Michigan is a municipal government entity incorporated on March 7, 1960, operating under a council-manager form of government and serving residents within Lowell and, through contractual arrangements, Lowell Charter Township. It delivers core municipal services including police and fire protection, public works, parks and recreation, planning and zoning, water treatment and distribution, and wastewater collection and treatment across approximately 2,200 utility customers served by 24 miles of water mains and 21 miles of sanitary sewer. The City's water treatment plant uses a lime-softening technology — recognized as a top-quality system typically found in larger communities — drawing from four groundwater wells and processing through sand and anthracite coal filtration with chlorine disinfection and fluoridation; the system has earned multiple state awards for drinking water quality and is non-detect for PFAS.

Revenue is generated through property taxes (15.7 mills, with 6 mills returned to Lowell Charter Township under the Covenant Business Park agreement), water and wastewater utility fees, marijuana facility licensing fees, and state revenue sharing, against a disclosed annual budget of $4.2 million. Distribution occurs through City Hall in-person services, an online portal with bill pay and permit applications, and direct utility infrastructure delivery, supported by communication channels including the official website, Facebook, YouTube, and the TextMyGov citizen notification system launched October 2025. The City is currently pursuing a transformational economic development strategy centered on the 237-acre Covenant Business Park at the I-96 interchange — supported by a 50-year Public Act 425 cooperation agreement with Lowell Charter Township, a $17.5 million MEDC Strategic Site Readiness Program grant, and a prospective Microsoft data center investment of $500 million to $1 billion — alongside $17 million in water and wastewater treatment plant expansions to address capacity constraints that have triggered summer watering bans since 2022.

Name

City of Lowell, Michigan

Legal name

City of Lowell, Michigan

Website

https://ci.lowell.mi.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The City of Lowell, Michigan is a municipal government providing police, fire, public works, water, and wastewater services to approximately 2,200 utility customers across Lowell and Lowell Charter Township, with a $4.2 million annual budget and an emerging 237-acre industrial business park development anchored by a prospective Microsoft data center.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Government Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Sewage Treatment Facilities (221320), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131), Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (92512)

SIC

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

Water Reclamation & Reuse Production (Tertiary/Advanced Treatment) (EUANADAD), Treatment Plant Asset Programs (Process Assets, Electrical/Mechanical Systems) (EUANALAL), Municipal Wastewater Collection (Sewer Networks) (BPALAMAA), Planning, Zoning, Permitting & Code Enforcement (BPAIACAE), Detention, Retention & Storage Systems (Ponds, Tanks, Vaults) (EUANAEAD)

Keywords

• Municipal water services
• Wastewater treatment
• Public safety services
• Municipal government
• Utility services

Headquarters

HQ city

Lowell

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Property Taxes: The City levies property taxes through mills. Property taxes may be paid to the City from July 1 through February 28. The City levies 15.7 mills on property owners in Covenant Business Park, returning 6 mills to Lowell Charter Township.
2. Water Utility Fees: Revenue from water treatment and distribution services to approximately 1,300 residential and business customers in Lowell and 900 customers in Lowell Charter Township. Water bills can be paid online, by phone, or in person.
3. Wastewater/Sewer Fees: Revenue from wastewater treatment services. The City manages 21 miles of sanitary sewer and three lift stations. The plant is designed to treat 1.42 mgd and currently treats approximately 1.2 mgd.
4. Adult Use Marijuana Facilities Fees: Application fees of $5,000 non-refundable plus regulatory and zoning special land use applications with fees ranging from $250 to $1,500 escrow.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The City of Lowell, Michigan is a municipal government providing water treatment and distribution, wastewater collection and treatment, police and fire protection, public works (streets, sidewalks), parks and recreation, planning and zoning, cemetery services, and general civic administration to residents and businesses within Lowell city limits and Lowell Charter Township. The City is funded primarily through property taxes, water and sewer utility fees, and licensing fees.

Product overview

City of Lowell, Michigan is a municipal government entity, not a technology product company. Its website (ci.lowell.mi.us) serves as a digital portal providing civic information and services to residents. The city's online presence is built on the Revize government website platform and offers no commercial products or services. The website provides access to municipal government functions including city council information, department services (police, fire, public works, water utilities, assessing, planning/zoning), community resources, online bill payment, permit applications, and public records. The city's operations include water treatment and distribution, wastewater treatment, parks and recreation, cemeteries, and general municipal administration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water Treatment and Distribution Service Potable water treatment using lime-softening technology pumped from four groundwater wells, treated with lime and aluminum sulfate for pH adjustment and softening, filtered through sand and anthracite coal, and disinfected with chlorine and fluoride. Distributed through 24 miles of water mains to approximately 2,200 customers across Lowell and Lowell Charter Township. Water bills can be paid online, by phone, or in person. The plant has a maximum capacity of 1.5 million gallons per day.
• Wastewater Collection and Treatment Service Sanitary sewer collection and wastewater treatment for Lowell and contracted communities, with a designed treatment capacity of 1.42 million gallons per day. The treatment plant is contracted to Veolia for operations and maintenance since 1989 and meets or exceeds federal standards for discharges.
• Police Services Law enforcement, patrol, and community safety services provided by the Lowell Police Department under the Chief of Police. Services include firearm purchase permits, peddlers licenses, background investigations, fingerprinting, liquor license approval, parking tickets, home checks, crime prevention, emergency preparedness, pedestrian and traffic safety, and special event planning.
• Adult Use Marijuana Facility Licensing Regulatory application and licensing service for Adult Use Marijuana facilities operating within Lowell city limits. Includes non-refundable $5,000 application fee, $250 zoning application fee plus $500 escrow, and $100 site plan application fee plus $1,000 escrow.
• Planning and Zoning Permits Planning and zoning permit services administered through the Community Development department, providing approvals for new construction, site plans, special land use, zoning compliance, and business startup support for Lowell property owners and developers.
• Public Works and Street Maintenance Street, sidewalk, and infrastructure maintenance services for the City of Lowell including pothole repair, street maintenance, sidewalk upkeep, and related public works functions across 13.39 miles of local streets and 6.89 miles of major streets.
• Property Tax Levy and Collection Property tax levy and collection service for Lowell property owners, coordinated with the Kent County Treasurer. The City levies 15.7 mills on Covenant Business Park property and returns 6 mills to Lowell Charter Township under the Public Act 425 cooperation agreement.
• Parks and Recreation Services Operation and maintenance of City-owned parks and recreational facilities, including Recreation Park, Richards Park, Creekside Park, McMahon Park, Scout Park, Stoney Lakeside Park, Rogers Field/Moose Properties, and Upper Bridge Property.

Quantifiable outcome

• Water meets or exceeds all state and federal standards
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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.

• Lowell Charter TownshipcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 November 2024Public Act 425 cooperation agreement approved in November 2024 allows for conditional land use transfer covering 237-acre Covenant Business Park. The agreement covers property at the interchange of I-96 and Alden Nash Avenue SE. The City is responsible for police, fire, emergency services, assessing property, and levying taxes. The Township is responsible for code enforcement, special assessments, and water/wastewater lines. The agreement lasts 50 years with potential renewal.
• The Right PlacecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional economic development organization supporting development at Covenant Business Park. Received MEDC grant and working on economic impact information for the project.
• MicrosoftminorOthersMicrosoft is interested in building a data center at Covenant Business Park. Based on similar Microsoft projects, total investment could be $500 million to $1 billion with 1,500-2,000 construction jobs and 250-400 permanent jobs if approved.
• Consumers EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal utility working with Lowell Township and City of Lowell to prioritize electricity needs for data center development and broader community requirements.
• VeoliaminorOthersContracted since 1989 to operate and maintain the City's wastewater treatment plant.
• Kent CountycoreOthersCounty government providing property tax collection services. Residents pay property taxes to Kent County Treasurer between March 1 and June 30.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC): State-level economic development agency that awarded Lowell a $17.5M Strategic Site Readiness Program grant. Functions as a critical funding/enablement partner for the city's growth strategy.
• Veolia Water (North America): Contracted wastewater operator for Lowell since 1989. Not a peer competitor but a key operating partner and the broader industry reference for outsourced municipal water/wastewater operations.

Broad incumbents

• City of Wyoming, Michigan: Larger Grand Rapids-area municipality operating full water, sewer, and public works infrastructure. Comparable governance model and utility functions but operates at meaningfully larger scale than Lowell.
• City of Grand Rapids, Michigan: Regional anchor municipality operating water, wastewater, and stormwater utilities for Kent County. Comparable municipal functions but at vastly larger scale than Lowell.

Direct peers

• City of Hastings, Michigan: Small Michigan city operating municipal water and wastewater utilities with comparable population and rural-West-Michigan service profile. Shares similar governance and utility-operator structure.
• City of Greenville, Michigan: Mid-sized West Michigan municipality with water and wastewater utilities serving a comparable customer base. Operates a similar council-manager governance structure with public works and utility departments.
• Lowell Charter Township, Michigan: Adjacent township that is also Lowell's largest water/wholesale customer under contract since 1992 and a Public Act 425 partner. Directly comparable municipal entity with intertwined service obligations.
• City of Ionia, Michigan: Nearby small Michigan city of similar population scale operating water, wastewater, and general municipal services. Most directly comparable in size, governance model, and utility portfolio to Lowell.
• City of Belding, Michigan: Small Michigan municipality operating drinking water and wastewater services for a similarly sized population. Comparable in scale, utility ownership, and rural-Ionia-County operating dynamics.

Regional players

• City of Rockford, Michigan: Adjacent Kent County municipality with similar residential/suburban character and municipal utility operations. Comparable governance model and proximity-driven service territory dynamics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tweet
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/cityoflowell
• Facebookfacebook.com/cityoflowellmichigan
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/city-of-lowell-michigan

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Lowell, Michigan