City of Taft, CA

What City of Taft, CA does

The City of Taft, California is a general law municipal government incorporated in November 1910, governed by a five-member City Council elected at-large by registered voters. Headquartered at 209 E. Kern Street in Taft (Kern County), the City provides a comprehensive portfolio of municipal services to its residents, local businesses, and visitors, including police, contracted fire services through Kern County Fire Department, public works (sewer, waste water treatment, streets, refuse and recycling, Veteran's Park), building and planning, animal control, public transit (Taft Area Transit), and a city-run correctional facility. The City also operates ancillary entities including the Taft Public Financing Authority (1993), Taft Area Transit, and the Measure A Citizens Oversight Committee.

Revenue is generated through a diversified fee-and-tax structure rather than commercial sales: property taxes and assessments, business licenses (inside city, home occupation, outside, festival), transit fares (rates restructured effective November 1, 2025), dog licensing, refuse and sewer utility fees, and building/planning permits governed by a Master Fee Schedule. A new PayLocalGov online payment portal handles utility bills, business licenses, and other fees. Service delivery is supported by a small technology stack — MunicipalCMS for the website, Laserfiche for records administration, SolarAPP+ for residential solar permit review, SurveyMonkey for the "Let's Talk Taft" community engagement initiative, and Dropbox for related media. Headcount is approximately 72 employees.

The City is publicly accountable with no private shareholders; oversight is exercised through a five-member Council with a separately elected Mayor and City Treasurer, appointed City Clerk, City Attorney, and City Manager, plus a Planning Commission and various committees. Recent fiscal pressures include disclosed losses of nearly $3,000,000 attributed to Sacramento regulations and state funding impacts, prompting both pricing adjustments and active community outreach.

Name

City of Taft, CA

Legal name

City of Taft, CA

Website

https://cityoftaft.org

Company type

Public

Founded year

1910

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The City of Taft is a general law California municipality incorporated in 1910 that provides core municipal services — police, public works, utilities, transit, building/planning, and animal control — to its residents, local businesses, and visitors through a five-member elected City Council.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Government Administration

NAICS

Other General Government Support (921190), Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Sewage Treatment Facilities (22132), Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (922)

SIC

Transportation Services (4700), Water Supply (4941), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Mayor/City Manager & General Administration (BPAIACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Local Transportation, Parking & Mobility Administration (BPAIACAM), Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG), Solid Waste & Recycling Services Administration (BPAIACAH), Public Works & Municipal Infrastructure (Streets, Stormwater, Facilities) (BPAIACAF)

Keywords

• Municipal government services
• Public safety administration
• Utility and sewer services
• Public transit operations
• Building and planning permits

Headquarters

HQ city

Taft, California

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Property Taxes and Assessments: General fund revenue from property taxes collected within city limits
2. Business Licenses: Fees collected from businesses operating within the city, including inside city, home occupation, outside, and festival licenses
3. Transit Fares: Fare revenue from Taft Area Transit bus services
4. Animal Shelter Services: Dog licensing fees and animal control services
5. Utility and Service Fees: Refuse collection, sewer services, and other municipal utility fees
6. Building Permits and Planning Fees: Fees for construction permits, planning applications, and development review

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The City of Taft provides local government services to residents and businesses within its city limits, including municipal policing, fire prevention contracted through Kern County, public works infrastructure management (sewer, wastewater treatment, refuse and recycling), public transit via Taft Area Transit, animal control and shelter services, building permits and planning, business licensing, and correctional facility operations. Funding is derived from property taxes, utility fees, license fees, transit fares, and state allocations.

Product overview

The City of Taft operates a comprehensive portfolio of municipal government services delivered through its official website. The city's digital offerings include Taft Area Transit for public transportation, an online payment system for utility bills and fees, building and planning services for permits and zoning, Taft Police Department services, public works infrastructure management, finance department services including business licensing, and the Taft Community Correctional Facility. These services are integrated through the city's website using MunicipalCMS, with supporting tools including Laserfiche for records management and PayLocalGov for payment processing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Taft Area Transit Public transportation service providing bus routes and ADA/senior transit services within the Taft area, available to residents and visitors.
• Animal Shelter and Animal Control Services Municipal animal shelter providing animal control services, dog licensing (unaltered and spayed/neutered tiers), and a spay/neuter voucher program for city residents.
• Building and Planning Services Department issuing building permits, encroachment permits, solar permits, conducting inspections, administering zoning, code compliance, and development review for resident and business applicants.
• Online Payment System Digital payment portal powered by PayLocalGov enabling residents and businesses to pay utility bills, business licenses, permits, and other city fees online.
• Police Department Services Municipal law enforcement services including patrol, crime prevention, code enforcement, jail facility operations, and community policing for residents and businesses.
• Public Works Services Infrastructure management services including streets maintenance, sewer collection, wastewater treatment plant operation, refuse and recycling collection, and Veteran's Park maintenance for community use.
• Finance Department Services Municipal financial services including accounting, budgeting, business licensing, financial reporting, investment management, billing, accounts payable/receivable, payroll, and master fee schedule administration.
• Taft Community Correctional Facility City-operated Type 1 correctional facility providing inmate housing and related correctional services under the Police Department.
• Business License Issuance Annual and one-time licensing for businesses operating within city limits, home occupation businesses, businesses located outside city limits doing work in Taft, and festival/event vendors.
• Fire Prevention and Inspection Services Fire prevention and inspection services provided through a contracted partnership with Kern County Fire Department, including primary service through Station 21 at 303 10th Street Taft, CA 93268.
• Dog Licensing Program Dog licensing program offering tiered one-time/perpetual licenses for unaltered dogs and spayed/neutered dogs, available to city residents.
• SolarAPP+ Automated Solar Permit Review Automated plan review service enabling instant code-compliance checking for residential rooftop photovoltaic (solar) installations, providing solar permits to residents and contractors.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kern County Fire DepartmentcoreOthersThe City of Taft contracts with Kern County Fire Department for Fire Prevention and Inspection services. Primary service is through Station 21 located at 303 10th Street Taft, CA 93268. This is a critical public safety partnership for fire protection services.
• SoCalGasminorOthersSoCalGas Assistance Programs are referenced on the city website under local utilities, providing energy assistance resources to Taft residents.
• Kern County Fire DepartmentcoreOthersKern County Fire Department conducts fire safety inspections for businesses within Taft city limits as part of the business licensing process.
• Kern CountycoreOthersThe City consolidates elections with Kern County. The City Clerk coordinates with Kern County to conduct Municipal Elections in accordance with the California Elections Code.
• California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD)minorOthersThe City works with HCD for Housing Element updates and compliance with State Housing Element Law. HCD reviews and approves the City's Housing Element updates.
• Retail StrategiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe City collaborated with Retail Strategies to develop a Market Guide with demographic data, population statistics, contact information, and a map of existing and coming soon businesses for economic development purposes.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• City of Shafter, CA: Kern County general law city operating police, public works, water/sewer utilities, planning, and community development with a similar small-city service portfolio. Highly comparable in operating model and regional context.
• City of Ridgecrest, CA: General law city in the Kern County region offering police, public works, water/wastewater, transit, animal control, and planning services. Comparable in municipal structure and breadth of services, though somewhat larger in scale.
• City of California City, CA: California general law city operating police, public works, water/wastewater, planning, and community services with a similar small-city governance structure. Direct peer on California general law city operating model.
• City of Maricopa, CA: Tiny general law city in southern Kern County with a comparable small-staff municipal structure providing police, public works, planning, and community services to a similarly sized population. Direct peer on scale and governance model.
• City of Tehachapi, CA: Small California general law city providing in-house police, public works, water/wastewater, planning, and transit services. Comparable in scale, governance structure, and full-service municipal operating model.
• City of Avenal, CA: Small Kings County general law city adjacent to Kern County with a similar small-staff municipal operation covering police, public works, utilities, and planning. Comparable in scale, regional economics, and full-service municipal profile.
• City of Coalinga, CA: Adjacent small general law city in western Kern County with a similar oil-and-agriculture heritage, comparable population, and the same mix of in-house police, public works, utilities, transit, and animal control services. Operates under California general law city framework like Taft.
• City of Arvin, CA: Small Kern County general law city delivering police, public works, utilities, planning, and community services to a similarly sized population. Direct peer on scale, regional context, and service mix.
• City of Wasco, CA: Kern County general law city of comparable scale offering its own police, fire, public works, water/wastewater, transit, and planning services. Closely comparable in service mix, geography, and California general law city governance.

Broad incumbents

• Kern County, CA: County government that contracts core services with the City of Taft (fire prevention/inspection via Kern County Fire, consolidated elections, code enforcement). Broader regional public-sector incumbent that overlaps with Taft on public safety, elections, planning oversight, and infrastructure, but operates at a much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/cityoftaft
• Facebookfacebook.com/City-Of-Taft-California-517954074916821
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/city-of-taft-ca

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries6 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 Taft, CA