Village of Sister Bay

What Village of Sister Bay does

Village of Sister Bay is a Wisconsin municipal government incorporated in 1912, serving residents, businesses, and seasonal visitors in Northern Door County. The Village provides a portfolio of essential public services centered on three operational pillars: utility management (drinking water, sanitary sewer, and wastewater treatment, with 15% rate increases in 2025), parks and recreation (including Waterfront Park with 1,936 linear feet of waterfront, Marina Park, Sports Complex, Dog Park, Sledding Hill, and 22-acre Pebble Beach), and administrative services (zoning, building permits, short-term rental licensing, alcohol/tobacco licensing, and business permits via the HeyGov online portal). The Village also operates the Sister Bay Marina and manages rentable civic facilities including Village Hall and Fire Station meeting rooms.

The underlying technology stack is conventional for a small municipal entity: a Town Web-hosted website with WCAG 2.1 AA and ADA Section 508 accessibility compliance, the HeyGov self-service portal for permit/licensing applications, Xpress Bill Pay for utility billing, and E-Plan Exam for digital plan submittal. These systems function as standalone civic offerings rather than an integrated platform architecture. The Village holds no AI/ML capabilities and operates with no proprietary software products.

The Village's revenue model combines property tax levy (2026 approved levy of $4,011,387 across general fund, village debt, and TIF districts), recurring utility fees (fixed and volumetric charges for water/sewer), one-time licensing and permit fees (alcohol, building, zoning, short-term rental), and transactional facility rental income. Customer segments include full-time and part-time Village residents (primary), seasonal visitors and tourists, and local businesses across retail, dining, lodging, and professional services. The Village is governed by a seven-member elected Board (Village President plus six Trustees) and administered day-to-day by a Village Administrator — a position that transitioned to Benjamin Andrews in January 2026 following the retirement of Julie Schmelzer.

Name

Village of Sister Bay

Legal name

Village of Sister Bay

Website

https://sisterbaywi.gov

Company type

Public

Founded year

1912

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Village of Sister Bay is a Wisconsin municipal government serving Northern Door County residents, businesses, and visitors with water/sewer utilities, parks and recreation facilities, marina operations, permitting, and licensing services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Government Services

NAICS

Marinas (71393)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Stormwater Management & MS4 Compliance Services (BPALAMAL)

Keywords

• Municipal government services
• Water and sewer utilities
• Parks and recreation facilities
• Permit and licensing services
• Public facility rentals

Headquarters

HQ city

Sister Bay

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Property Tax Levy: The Village generates primary revenue through property tax levies. The 2026 approved operating budget includes a property tax levy of $4,011,387, broken down as $2,007,523 for general fund purposes, $790,000 towards village debt, and $593,143.51 towards tax increment financing districts.
2. Utility Fees (Water, Sewer, Wastewater): Revenue from water, sewer, and wastewater services. Sewer rates include fixed charges ($175.49 per quarter for Sister Bay customers) and volume charges ($4.86 per 1,000 gallons). Rate increases of 15% were implemented in 2025.
3. Licensing and Permit Fees: Revenue from various licenses and permits including alcohol licensing, cigarette/tobacco licensing, building permits, zoning permits, short-term rental licenses, sign permits, and other municipal licenses.
4. Facility Rentals: Revenue from renting public facilities including Waterfront Park, Marina Park, Village Hall, Fire Station meeting rooms, and Sports Complex. Rental fees apply with security deposits required.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Village of Sister Bay is a Wisconsin municipal government that provides essential public services to residents, businesses, and visitors in Northern Door County. Its core offerings include village-operated water and sanitary sewer utilities, an extensive parks and recreation system anchored by 1,936 linear feet of public waterfront, the Sister Bay Marina, and administrative services such as permits, licensing, and online payments delivered through the HeyGov and Xpress Bill Pay portals.

Product overview

Village of Sister Bay is a Northern Door County municipal government offering a unified portfolio of public services centered on utility management, parks and recreation facilities, and administrative services. The core service portfolio includes water and sanitary sewer utilities serving residents and businesses; an extensive parks system comprising Waterfront Park (with gazebo, beach, and event pavilion), Marina Park, Sports Complex (with baseball, soccer, tennis/pickleball, basketball, and seasonal ice rink), Dog Park, Sledding Hill, and Pebble Beach; and rentable facilities including Village Hall and Fire Station meeting rooms. The Village also operates the Sister Bay Marina and provides digital permitting, licensing, and payment services through the HeyGov online portal and Xpress Bill Pay. These services function as standalone civic offerings rather than an integrated platform architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Sister Bay Historical Society (SBHS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 April 2026SBHS and Village have signed agreements enabling SBHS to renovate the Bunda Boathouse into The Sister Bay Waterfront Museum, honoring Sister Bay's maritime history. The Waterfront Museum will house the 1929 Chris-Craft boat 'Shadow' and artifacts highlighting the history of the Sister Bay waterfront. Expected to open in 2027.
• McMahon GroupminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitectural firm that designed the new Parks Maintenance Facility at 2160 Autumn Court.
• Alliance Construction & DesignminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConstruction company that built the Parks Maintenance Facility. Mark Rukamp served as Project Manager and Derek Wegner as Project Manager.
• StantecminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCivil site design for the Parks Maintenance Facility. Also partnered with Village for workforce housing study in winter 2024.
• Ayres AssociatesminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEngineering firm that completed a Facilities Study for the Village in 2023.
• BayLake RPCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional planning commission assisting with Bayshore Trail Feasibility Study connecting communities from Egg Harbor to Sister Bay.
• Going GarbageminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVillage contracts with Going Garbage to provide garbage and recycling services for property owners in the Village.
• Sister Bay Advancement AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for providing information about area businesses and tourism activities to new residents and visitors.
• Friends of the Ice RinkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal group of concerned citizens who desire to make the ice rink a valid option for winter recreation. Looking to start a capital fundraising campaign for chiller coils installation.
• Door County Coastal BywayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCouncil working to preserve historic stone fences along the highway and promote the scenic corridor through community events and materials.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Town of Liberty Grove: Adjacent Door County township that co-operates the Sister Bay-Liberty Grove Fire Station with the Village. Provides comparable parks, utilities, and municipal services to a similar Door County population and tourism economy.
• Village of Egg Harbor: Neighboring Door County village in Northern Door County providing comparable municipal services including parks, marina operations, water/sewer utilities, and short-term rental licensing. Same tax-base dynamics (tourism-dependent peninsula village) make it the closest operational peer.
• Town of Baileys Harbor: Northern Door County township operating community water systems, parks, and recreational facilities with similar tourism dependency. Comparable scale and service mix to the Village of Sister Bay.
• Town of Gibraltar: Door County municipality encompassing Fish Creek, with similar waterfront assets, parks (Peninsula State Park adjacency), marina exposure, and tourism-driven revenue. Comparable in scale and operational scope to Sister Bay.
• Town of Sevastopol: Door County township bordering Sister Bay providing similar municipal services, parks, and regulatory functions to a comparable Door County population. Strong structural comparability on tax base and service scope.
• Village of Ephraim: Door County village with strong tourism base, waterfront park assets, and a similar small-municipal operating model. Provides comparable parks, licensing, and utility services to residents and seasonal visitors.

Regional players

• Town of Washington Island: Island Door County municipality with ferry-accessed tourism economy and full municipal services including utilities, parks, and marina. Comparable service breadth though distinct geographic context.

Others

• Door County Visitor Bureau: Regional tourism promotion organization that partners with the Village on visitor marketing and events. Thematically adjacent rather than directly competing, but a key ecosystem partner for Sister Bay's tourism-driven revenue.

Broad incumbents

• City of Sturgeon Bay: Larger Door County municipal entity providing a fuller suite of utilities, parks, marina, and administrative services. Comparable service portfolio but greater scale and broader tax base than the Village of Sister Bay.
• Door County Government: County-level government serving all Door County municipalities including Sister Bay. Provides regional planning, parks, tourism promotion, and infrastructure coordination overlapping with Village-level services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/village-of-sister-bay

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Village of Sister Bay