City of Clarkesville

What City of Clarkesville does

The City of Clarkesville is a municipal government entity serving as the county seat of Habersham County, Georgia, founded in 1823 and celebrated its bicentennial in 2023. It provides a full suite of municipal services to approximately 1,828 residents within city limits, plus an extended service area through a wholesale water arrangement. Operationally, the city runs 24 administrative employees plus a 30-member combination Fire Department (Station 3) that holds an ISO rating of 2, a Police Department led by Chief Danny Clouatre, a Water Department, a Utilities Department, Planning & Zoning, and a Municipal Court. Public Works and utility field operations were outsourced in 2018 to ESG Operations, Inc., which now handles water/sewer line installation and repair, street maintenance, sanitation, yard trimmings collection, and grounds keeping under a contract relationship.

The city's core technical asset is its water infrastructure: it is the first commercial/municipal user of the Soque River as a surface water source, drawing from a 6-million-gallon raw water reservoir, delivering an average of 700,000 gallons per day of finished water through 68.1 miles of distribution pipe to roughly 5,500 customers, with combined elevated storage of 1 million gallons across four tanks. Fire apparatus includes three pumper trucks, one ladder truck, one rescue/light/air truck, and one quick-response vehicle. Technology stack is conventional municipal SaaS — CivicPlus for the website, Granicus for agendas/minutes, CP Teller for online utility billing, Nixle and CodeRED for emergency notifications, EZ Courtpay for court fines, and LexisNexis BuyCrash for police accident reports. No proprietary software, patents, or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed.

The revenue model is a hybrid of recurring utility fees (water and sewer billed monthly with a $100 new-account deposit, 10% late penalty, and $35 reconnect fee) and one-time license and permit fees (business, alcohol, building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, demolition, sign, tree removal, special event). Customer segments include city residents (primary), local businesses (167 businesses in the downtown district employing 1,625 people), and Habersham County residents receiving wholesale water through the Habersham County Water Authority. The city holds a Historic Preservation District designation (2020), a Main Street City designation under the National Main Street Center, and operates the Historic Mauldin House & Gardens as a visitor center, supporting downtown economic development via a Façade and Sign Grant Program that has awarded over 50 grants totaling more than $50,000.

Name

City of Clarkesville

Legal name

City of Clarkesville

Website

https://clarkesvillega.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1823

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The City of Clarkesville is the municipal government and county seat of Habersham County, Georgia, serving approximately 1,828 residents plus 5,500 water customers with public safety, water/sewer utilities, planning/zoning, and economic development services through city departments and outsourced public works.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Government Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241), Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (9251)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Planning, Zoning, Permitting & Code Enforcement (BPAIACAE), Public Works & Municipal Infrastructure (Streets, Stormwater, Facilities) (BPAIACAF), City Clerk/Records, Elections & Civic Engagement (BPAIACAB)

Keywords

• Municipal water utilities
• Public safety services
• Wastewater services
• Planning and zoning
• Fire protection services

Headquarters

HQ city

Clarkesville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Utility Billing: Municipal water and wastewater utilities providing competitive rates, reliability, and responsiveness to customers. Revenue from water service fees, sewer service fees, deposits ($100 for new accounts), initial hook-ups, and tap fees.
2. Licenses and Permits: Business licenses, alcohol licenses (package sales, restaurant sales, bar/tavern, brew pub, farm winery), building permits, electrical permits, mechanical permits, plumbing permits, demolition permits, sign permits, tree removal permits, and special event permits.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The City of Clarkesville is a municipal government providing public safety (police and fire), water and wastewater utilities, public works, planning and zoning, permitting and licensing, and economic development through its Main Street Program. It serves approximately 5,500 water customers and residents within city limits, and additionally provides wholesale water distribution to Habersham County Water Authority.

Product overview

The City of Clarkesville offers a comprehensive suite of municipal government services through multiple departments. The core offerings include public safety services (Police Department, Fire Department with ISO rating of 2), utility services (Water Department, Utilities Department, Public Works managed by ESG Operations), and regulatory services (Planning & Zoning for permits and code enforcement). Economic development is supported through the Main Street Program and Economic Development/DDA which focus on downtown revitalization, historic preservation, and business development including facade grants. Administrative services are provided through City Government Administration handling licenses, records, and city operations. The city also operates Municipal Court for traffic and ordinance violations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Police Department Municipal police department providing law enforcement services, community policing, municipal court operations, and emergency response within Clarkesville city limits.
• Fire Department Combination fire department providing fire suppression, emergency medical services, fire prevention education, extrication, hazardous materials response, and water rescue services with an ISO rating of 2.
• Water Department Water utility dedicated to providing safe, reliable drinking water 24/7. Operates the water treatment plant, 68.1 miles of distribution pipe, and four elevated storage tanks with 1 million gallon combined capacity.
• Utilities Department Municipal water and wastewater utilities providing service to city and county residents with competitive rates, billing services, deposits, and tap fees.
• Public Works Public works services managed by ESG Operations, Inc., providing drinking water and sewer line installation/repair, street maintenance, sanitation services (MWF collection), and grounds keeping.
• Planning & Zoning Planning and zoning services providing assistance to policy makers, residents, and developers regarding community change and growth; issues building permits and enforces building codes.
• Main Street Program Downtown revitalization program focused on historic preservation, facade grants, business development, promotions, and community events. Operates the Historic Mauldin House Visitor Center.
• Economic Development / DDA Economic development services and Downtown Development Authority focused on downtown improvement, loans, property purchases, and grants.
• City Government Administration Administrative services including city manager, city clerk, mayor and council, business licenses, alcohol licenses, employment, and open records requests.
• Municipal Court Municipal court handling traffic offenses, state law violations, and local ordinances within city limits; hears cases every other month starting in February.
• Online Utility Bill Payment Portal Online portal (CP Teller) that allows utility customers to pay water, sewer, and other municipal service bills online.

Quantifiable outcome

• ISO rating of 2 achieved by Fire Department (2016)
• +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

Integration8 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ESG Operations, Inc.coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2018The City contracted with ESG Operations, Inc. in late 2018 to take over management of all Public Works and Utility operations provided by the city. ESG manages drinking water line installation/repair, sewer line installation/repair, street maintenance, sanitation services, yard trimmings collection, and grounds keeping.
• Habersham County Water AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe city's distribution system serves approximately 5,500 customers and also provides water on a wholesale basis to the Habersham County Water Authority for resale to its customers.
• Upper Chattahoochee River KeeperminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe city works closely with the Upper Chattahoochee River Keeper on programs to protect and conserve water resources.
• Soque River Watershed AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe city collaborates with the Soque River Watershed Association on programs to protect and conserve the Soque River, the city's surface water source.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• City of Demorest: Also located in Habersham County, Georgia and home to Piedmont University; provides similar municipal services including water utilities and public safety. Highly comparable small-city operating model in the same county.
• City of Cleveland: County seat of White County in northeast Georgia providing water/sewer utilities, public safety, and planning services. Comparable small-city governance model in the same regional context.
• City of Blue Ridge: County seat of Fannin County with historic downtown character, tourism economy, and full municipal utilities. Comparable in scale, governance structure, and regional economic drivers.
• City of Toccoa: County seat of Stephens County in northeast Georgia, operating water/sewer utilities, electric utility, and public safety services. Similar scale and county-seat status make it a close operating peer.
• City of Dahlonega: County seat of Lumpkin County, Georgia with a historic downtown district, university presence, and full municipal utility operations. Comparable in scale, historic character, and service mix to Clarkesville.
• City of Cornelia: Neighboring municipality within Habersham County, Georgia that operates its own water/sewer utilities, public safety, and planning functions. Closest geographic and demographic peer with substantially overlapping service portfolio.
• City of Jasper: County seat of Pickens County in north Georgia operating municipal water/sewer, police, and planning functions. Similar population scale and operating footprint to Clarkesville.
• City of Blairsville: County seat of Union County in the north Georgia mountains, providing water/sewer, public safety, and downtown development services. Similar small-city scale and tourism-adjacent economy.

Regional players

• City of Hiawassee: County seat of Towns County in northeast Georgia providing water/sewer utilities and public safety services. Comparable in scale and rural mountain regional context.
• City of Dawsonville: County seat of Dawson County in north Georgia operating municipal utilities and public safety. Comparable service portfolio with somewhat higher growth profile due to Atlanta proximity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ClarkesvilleBHT
• Facebookfacebook.com/cityofclarkesville
• Instagraminstagram.com/cityofclarkesville
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/city-of-clarkesville

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 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 Clarkesville