TOWN OF PHELPS

What TOWN OF PHELPS does

The Town of Phelps is a municipal government entity operating under Wisconsin state law in Vilas County, chartered in 1905 (originally as Hackley, renamed in 1912). It serves approximately 1,203 permanent residents across a 92.4-square-mile jurisdiction, of which roughly 75% (37,716 acres) is Nicolet National Forest land. The Town provides core municipal services — property tax administration, election services, road maintenance, garbage and recycling collection, planning and development oversight, cemetery services, and oversight of the volunteer fire and EMS department — through a 5-person elected Town Board, a Town Chairman (Steve Doyen), Clerk/Treasurer (Sheryl J Ward), and approximately 10 staff across departments including public works, cemetery, and constable operations.

The Town's primary technology asset is its municipal website (phelpswi.gov), built and hosted by Town Web, which serves as a centralized portal for forms, permits, agendas, minutes, news, tax information, election materials, and a local business directory. There is no API, mobile application, or proprietary technology stack; the site functions as a standard civic content and forms portal. Service delivery channels include the Town Hall at 4495 Town Hall Road (open Monday–Thursday), the Fire Hall, and the Recycling Center at 4351 DNR Vista Lane (outsourced to Silver Pine Services effective January 1, 2026). Communication channels combine the website, email newsletters, public meetings, and posted news notices.

The Town's revenue model is tax- and fee-based rather than commercial. Primary inflows are property taxes on residents and seasonal property owners, supplemented by a structured fee schedule: dog licenses ($5–$10 annually), driveway permits and fire number fees ($75 each, raised from $30 on September 11, 2025), and a 4.5% quarterly room tax on short-term rentals for 2026. The Town does not disclose revenue or budget figures in the source material despite publishing a budget documents page. Customer segments are constrained to permanent residents (primary), seasonal property owners, and short-term rental visitors, all within the single Phelps jurisdiction.

Name

TOWN OF PHELPS

Legal name

Town of Phelps

Website

https://townofphelps.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1905

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Town of Phelps is a municipal government in Vilas County, Wisconsin serving approximately 1,203 residents across 92.4 square miles, providing property tax administration, public safety oversight, road maintenance, recycling, elections, and permitting funded primarily through property taxes and municipal fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Government Services

NAICS

Fire Protection (922160), Other Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (922190)

SIC

Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAIACAF

Public Works & Municipal Infrastructure (Streets, Stormwater, Facilities)

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Local/Municipal Government Administration

SECONDARYBPAIACAB

City Clerk/Records, Elections & Civic Engagement

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Local/Municipal Government Administration

Keywords

• Municipal government services
• Property tax administration
• Public safety services
• Waste management services
• Election administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Phelps

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others, Technology or R&D

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Town of Phelps is a municipal government entity that delivers statutory local-government services to its 1,203 residents and seasonal property owners in Vilas County, Wisconsin. Its core offerings include property tax administration, public safety (volunteer fire and EMS, constable), road and public works maintenance, garbage and recycling collection, election administration, planning and development oversight, cemetery services, and issuance of regulatory permits and licenses (dog licenses, driveway permits, fire numbers, room tax administration for short-term rentals).

Product overview

Town of Phelps operates a municipal government website serving Vilas County, Wisconsin with a population of 1,203 residents. The website provides a unified portal for government services including online permits and forms, garbage and recycling services, election services, tax administration, recreation and community events, and a local business directory. The town encompasses 92.4 square miles with 37,716 acres of Nicolet National Forest lands.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Forms & Permits Online portal providing residents access to permits and forms including driveway permits, dog licenses, cemetery forms, operator licenses, picnic licenses, room tax forms, and utility work applications.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Town of Manitowish Waters: Vilas County town with a similar lakeside-tourism economy and small staffed municipal operation; its fee/permit and tax mix closely mirrors Phelps's.
• Town of Land O'Lakes: Bordering Vilas County town offering the same slate of small-town municipal services in a forested, lake-rich setting. Closely comparable in operating model and revenue mix.
• Town of Conover: Neighboring Vilas County town with a comparable rural, lake-and-forest economic base and small-population municipal service profile including volunteer fire/EMS and seasonal recreation emphasis.
• Town of Presque Isle: Vilas County town of similar size with shared reliance on National Forest proximity, lake districts, and seasonal tourism — directly comparable municipal operating profile.
• Town of Plum Lake: Vilas County town directly comparable in scale and service scope, providing the same foundational public services to a small forested township population.
• Town of Boulder Junction: Vilas County town of similar population scale whose economy is overwhelmingly oriented around lakes, forest, and seasonal visitors — directly comparable in tax base, services, and recreation programming to Phelps.
• Town of Washington (Vilas County): Vilas County town serving a comparably small, geographically dispersed population with the same rural-municipal service mix including roads, fire, recycling, and elections.
• Town of St. Germain: Adjacent Vilas County, WI town with a similarly small resident population and a recreation-tourism economy anchored by lakes and forest. Provides a directly comparable set of municipal services (clerk, fire, public works, recycling, planning).

Broad incumbents

• Vilas County: County-level government that overlaps Phelps's operating geography and consumes a portion of resident tax dollars; while broader in mandate, it shares the same taxpayer base and public-administration operating context.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/town-of-phelps

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 TOWN OF PHELPS