District of Houston

What District of Houston does

The District of Houston is a municipal government entity located in Northwestern British Columbia, Canada, serving approximately 3,000+ residents through a full-service local government model. Incorporated in March 1957 (formerly the Village of Houston), the District operates under British Columbia's Local Government Act and is governed by an elected mayor (Shane Brienen) and six councillors, with a small appointed executive team led by a Chief Administrative Officer and directors covering Finance, Corporate Services, Operations, Protective Services, Community Development, and Leisure Services.

The District delivers services across seven functional pillars: taxation and finance (property tax, utility billing, business licensing), emergency services (volunteer fire department with 30 volunteer firefighters plus RCMP/ambulance coordination), recreation (Houston Leisure Facility with 25m pool, Claude Parish Memorial Arena, Community Hall), infrastructure (water, sewer, garbage, airport with 3,999 ft runway, cemeteries), planning and development, animal control, and economic development. Technology infrastructure is built on third-party SaaS — a tax/utility billing portal (tax.houston.ca), a service request system (citywideportal.com), Active Communities for recreation registration, CivicWeb for document management, Microsoft Teams for virtual council meetings, and Voyent Alerts for public emergency notifications.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid model: property tax levies, recurring utility billing (water/sewer/garbage), annual business licenses, leisure facility user fees (with a published Summer 2026 rate schedule), one-time cemetery plot and interment fees, and usage-based airport parking. Grant funding from provincial and federal programs (notably REDIP and Northern Healthy Communities Fund) supplements operational revenue. The District does not publicly disclose financial figures and is not a tradable entity.

Name

District of Houston

Legal name

District of Houston

Website

https://houston.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The District of Houston is a municipal government in Northwestern British Columbia serving approximately 3,000+ residents with taxation, utilities, emergency services, recreation, planning, and economic development functions through a small appointed staff and volunteer programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Government Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (925)

SIC

Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900), Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340)

akta.pro primary industry

Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services (BPAIACAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Works Departments (Streets, Bridges, Stormwater, Fleet, Maintenance) (BPAIALAD), Housing & Neighborhood Services (Local Housing Programs) (BPAIACAJ)

Keywords

• Municipal government services
• Property tax collection
• Utility billing services
• Recreation facility management
• Emergency fire services

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Property Taxation: Annual property tax levies collected from residential and commercial properties within district boundaries, managed through the Finance department with online payment capabilities.
2. Utility Billing: Water, sewer, and garbage collection services billed to residents, with online viewing and payment through tax.houston.ca portal.
3. Business Licensing: Annual business license fees required for all businesses operating within district, renewals due January 1st annually.
4. Leisure Services: User fees from leisure facility memberships, admissions, and program registrations including pool, fitness center, and arena.
5. Cemetery Services: Plot licenses, interment permits, and memorial installation fees at Houston Municipal Cemetery and Mountainview Cemetery.
6. Airport Services: Aircraft parking fees and facility rentals at Houston Airport (3,999 ft runway).
7. Grant Funding: Provincial and federal grant funding for infrastructure projects, economic development, and community programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The District of Houston is a municipal government that delivers core public services to residents, businesses, and visitors of Houston, British Columbia. Its primary offerings include property taxation and assessment, water/sewer/garbage utility billing, business and animal licensing, building and development permitting, cemetery and airport operations, volunteer fire and emergency services, and recreation programming delivered through the Houston Leisure Facility, Claude Parish Memorial Arena, Houston Community Hall, parks, trails, and the By-Mac Park campground.

Product overview

The District of Houston operates a comprehensive municipal government providing diverse services through both digital platforms and physical infrastructure. Digital services center on the Online Services Portal (tax.houston.ca) enabling 24/7 property tax and utility billing management, and the Citywide Service Request Portal for submitting and tracking municipal requests. The District maintains recreation facilities including the Houston Leisure Facility (aquatics center with pool, hot tub, sauna, fitness gym), Claude Parish Memorial Arena (ice rink), and Houston Community Hall (event venue). Additional services include parks and trails, municipal airport, cemeteries, animal control, business licensing, fire services, and emergency preparedness programs. The recreation programs are managed through Active Communities integration, while council meetings leverage Microsoft Teams for virtual participation. This is not a unified software product but rather a collection of government service offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Municipal Online Services Portal
• Property Tax Services
• Utility Billing Services
• Service Request Portal
• Houston Leisure Facility
• Claude Parish Memorial Arena
• Houston Community Hall
• Parks and Trails System
• Houston Airport
• Cemetery Services
• Houston Volunteer Fire Department Services
• Business Licensing
• Animal Control Services
• Development and Building Permits
• Recreation Program Registration
• Public Alerting System
• By-Mac Park Campground

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DeloittecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Engaged in 2024 to support the development of an Economic Diversification Strategy for the District of Houston. The initiative aims to broaden the local economic foundation beyond traditional forestry and manufacturing through comprehensive strategy development and analysis.
• CitySpaces ConsultingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnered for the Housing Strategy and Implementation Plan, including update to 2020 Housing Needs Report. Working to evaluate current housing conditions, anticipate future needs, and enhance housing options for improved community living with funding through Northern Healthy Communities Fund.
• Dungate Community ForestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity forest operation with local donation program. District supports community grant writing and has proposed expansion including Morice Mountain Recreation Area for small-scale recreation operations and wildfire protection.
• BC Transit - Bulkley-Nechako Regional Transit SystemminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProvides regional transit connections to Smithers and Burns Lake via Route 162 three days per week, and to Prince George via Route 161. Transit stops available in Houston.
• Houston Chamber of CommerceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperates the Houston Visitor Information Centre as a Tourism BC network facility, providing visitor services, local maps, and tourism information for the community.
• BC Ambulance Service (Provincial Health Services Authority)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProvincially operated ambulance service providing emergency pre-hospital treatment and transportation. Houston benefits from Community Paramedics program providing select homecare services locally.
• Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHouston-Granisle RCMP Detachment provides comprehensive policing services including uniform general policing, major crime investigators, drug enforcement, police service dogs, forensic identification, traffic enforcement, and community policing program.
• Neighboring Fire DepartmentsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner with neighboring fire departments on training activities to improve emergency response capabilities and share resources.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako: Regional administrative body that coordinates services including the public alerting system used by Houston; provides regional-scale context and shared service delivery for the District.

Direct peers

• District of Mackenzie: Northern BC resource-based district municipality of comparable population, with parallel reliance on forestry and similar municipal service structure including recreation, utilities, and protective services.
• Town of Smithers: Adjacent Northwestern BC municipality with an overlapping service portfolio — arena, leisure facility, airport, water/sewer utilities — and a comparable small-town operational model.
• District of Vanderhoof: Interior BC district of similar scale, providing property taxation, water/sewer utilities, recreation facilities, and economic development services to a comparable small population.
• District of Fort St. James: Small interior BC district with similar forestry/tourism-dependent economy, providing utilities, recreation, property taxation, and emergency services to a comparable population size.
• District of Burns Lake: Neighboring rural BC district in the Bulkley-Nechako region with similar forestry-dependent economy, small population, and matching municipal service offerings including recreation and airport.
• District of Kitimat: Small resource-based municipal district in Northwestern BC of comparable size, providing the same suite of utilities, recreation, emergency services, and property taxation to a similar population base.
• Village of Telkwa: Small adjacent Bulkley-Nechako community providing the same core municipal services (utilities, recreation, emergency response, property tax) to a similar rural population.

Others

• CitySpaces Consulting: Consulting partner engaged by the District for the Housing Strategy and Implementation Plan; illustrates the type of external advisor ecosystem used by small BC municipalities for strategic planning.

Regional players

• City of Terrace: Larger regional center in Northwestern BC serving as the service hub for surrounding communities including Houston; offers the same municipal service portfolio at greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/districtofhoustonbc
• Instagraminstagram.com/districtofhoustonbc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/houston-district

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 District of Houston