City of West Plains

What City of West Plains does

The City of West Plains is a municipal government headquartered at 1910 Holiday Lane in West Plains, Missouri (Howell County), providing integrated utility services and core civic functions to approximately 6,300 homes and businesses within and adjacent to city limits. Core utility operations include electric distribution across 5 substations serving over 6,500 services, water treatment with 3.7 million gallons per day capacity drawing from 6 wells, water distribution across 165+ miles of lines and 5,800 taps, wastewater collection and treatment, and sanitation/recycling services. The Utilities Director (Shayne Eades) oversees this portfolio under a five-year fiscal plan grounded in a 30-year Integrated Management Plan approved in 2022; utilities are explicitly fully funded through customer rates rather than supplemented by taxes.

Beyond utilities, the city delivers emergency services (police, fire, emergency management, animal control), parks and recreation including a public aquatic center, splash pad, walking trails, and a mountain bike trail, the West Plains Public Library, transit, a municipal airport, planning and permitting, economic development, stormwater management, and a civic center. The city employs 72 people and is governed by an elected City Council led by Mayor Michael Topliff, with City Administrator Sam Anselm overseeing administration.

Technology infrastructure is modest but functional: an in-house GIS team co-developed the proprietary Public Power Outage Map with the Utilities department for public outage visibility and crew coordination. Customer-facing digital tools include UtilityHawk (third-party free portal for usage tracking and leak alerts), BSA Online (third-party payment portal supporting credit cards, PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay, and Google Pay), and ArcGIS Survey123 for permit applications. No AI/ML capabilities are disclosed. Revenue derives primarily from utility rates (electric, water, sewer, sanitation, fiber) charged monthly to ratepayers, supplemented by city sales tax (with an additional 1% tax proposition on the August 4, 2026 ballot), permits, licenses, and fees. Rates are set annually following a public hearing and council approval in late fall.

Name

City of West Plains

Legal name

City of West Plains

Website

https://westplains.gov

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The City of West Plains is a municipal government in Howell County, Missouri, providing integrated electric, water, sewer, sanitation, and fiber utility services to approximately 6,300 homes and businesses, alongside emergency services, parks, recreation, library, transit, and economic development functions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Government Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Waste Management and Remediation Services (562), Sewage Treatment Facilities (22132), Administration of Economic Programs (926)

SIC

Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623), Sanitary Services (4950), Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Works Departments (Streets, Bridges, Stormwater, Fleet, Maintenance) (BPAIALAD), Grounds & Exterior Services (Landscaping/Snow Removal/Parking Lot Maintenance) (IMAIAAAF)

Keywords

• Municipal utility services
• Electric distribution
• Public water systems
• Wastewater treatment
• Public safety services

Headquarters

HQ city

West Plains

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Utility billing: Revenue generated from electric, water, sewer, sanitation, and fiber services charged to approximately 6,300 homes and businesses. Utilities are fully funded through customer rates; revenues cannot be supplemented with taxes. A five-year fiscal plan based on a 30-year Integrated Management Plan approved in 2022 guides rate setting.
2. Taxes and fees: Revenue from city sales tax, permits, licenses, and fees (yard sale permits $1, building permits, special event permits, dog registration). A proposition on the August 4, 2026 ballot seeks to impose an additional 1% city sales tax on top of the existing 1% sales tax.
3. Sanitation services: Waste collection, recycling, and transfer station services. Recycling Center accepts aluminum cans, cardboard, newsprint, office paper, plastic bottles and jars, and glass. Transfer station charges fees for general waste with certain waivers during clean-up weeks.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The City of West Plains is a municipal government that provides essential public services and municipal utilities to residents and businesses within its city limits. Its core offerings include electric power distribution, water supply, wastewater (sewer) treatment, solid waste/sanitation collection, and fiber-optic broadband connectivity, supplemented by public safety (police, fire, EMS), parks, library, public transit, and administrative services. Services are delivered to approximately 12,000-15,000 residents across 12.31 square miles in Missouri.

Product overview

City of West Plains operates as a municipal government offering a comprehensive portfolio of public utility and civic services. The core utilities portfolio includes electric distribution (6500+ services, 5 substations), water treatment (3.7M gallons/day capacity), water distribution (165+ miles of lines, 5800+ taps), wastewater services, and sanitation/recycling. The city developed an internal Public Power Outage Map in collaboration with its GIS team as its primary technology product. Customer-facing digital services include the UtilityHawk portal for usage monitoring, BSA Online for payments, and ArcGIS-based permit applications. Beyond utilities, the city provides emergency services, parks and recreation, public library, transit, airport, and planning/development services serving approximately 6300 utility customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Electric Utility Service

Quantifiable outcome

• Storm power restored to 2,600 meters within 10 hours of substations going down
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 January 2024The city, university, and Greater West Plains Area Chamber of Commerce partnered to create a Center for Excellence at the former GOCAT facility at the corner of Howell Avenue and Jackie D. Garrett Drive. MSU-WP transitioned the facility to house its physical plant, purchasing department, and Small Business Development Center. The partnership places economic development efforts under one roof with a shared mission.
• Greater West Plains Area Chamber of CommerceflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 January 2024The chamber partnered with the city and MSU-WP to relocate offices to the former GOCAT facility, establishing the Center for Excellence. The chamber's current office is listed for sale as they focus resources on renovating their share of the facility. The partnership aims to increase grant opportunities and coordinated growth through collaboration.
• Ozark Action, Inc.coreOthersOzark Action, Inc. administers the State of Missouri's utility assistance program for low-income households locally. Residents in financial hardship can receive help with utility bills through this program. Contact: 417-256-6147 or https://oaiwp.org/energy-assistance/. The city refers customers to this partner as part of its social services support network.
• Howell-Oregon ElectricminorOthersHowell-Orega Electric provided number 4 copper to assist with repairs to the transmission line during the July 1-2, 2023 storm restoration efforts when the city's 69 kVa transmission line went down at Bratton Avenue.
• South Central Council of Governments (SCOCOG)coreOthersSCOCOG and its representatives worked with the city to move forward with the stormwater detention basin project after delays from COVID-19 and rising material costs. The city collaborated with SCOCOG to reallocate funds and find ways to continue construction on the North Fork Basin and request reallocation of EDA funds for the Galloway Basin.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• City Utilities of Springfield: Municipal utility serving Springfield, Missouri, with vertically integrated electric, water, and natural gas operations. Directly comparable as a Missouri municipal utility providing similar utility services under unified public ownership, though at much larger scale.
• City of Sedalia, Missouri: Mid-size Missouri municipality operating its own electric, water, wastewater, and sanitation utilities. Comparable in providing integrated municipal utility services under public ownership at a similar scale.
• City of Rolla, Missouri: Similar-sized Missouri city operating municipal utilities, public works, and community services. Comparable as a peer municipal government of similar scale and operating model in rural Missouri.
• City of Joplin, Missouri: Mid-size Missouri municipality operating its own electric utility along with water, sewer, sanitation, and public works. Comparable in providing the same suite of integrated municipal services with municipal utility ownership in southwest Missouri.
• Independence Power & Light (City of Independence, MO): Municipal electric utility owned and operated by the City of Independence, Missouri. Closely comparable as a city-owned vertically integrated electric utility delivering similar distribution and customer-service functions in Missouri.

Regional players

• City of Mountain Home, Arkansas: Nearby municipal government in the southern Ozarks region operating water, sewer, sanitation, and electric services. Comparable as a regional peer of similar population and rural setting, though serving a different state.
• Howell-Oregon Electric Cooperative: Electric cooperative serving Howell and Oregon counties in Missouri, adjacent to West Plains' service territory. Provided mutual aid during the 2023 storm and serves as a regional peer electric distribution utility in the same geography.

Broad incumbents

• Missouri American Water: Largest investor-owned water and wastewater utility in Missouri. Comparable as a regulated water/wastewater utility peer operating at much larger scale across the same state regulatory environment.
• Black Hills Energy: Investor-owned utility providing natural gas and electric service across Missouri and surrounding states. Comparable as a broader incumbent utility operating in overlapping Missouri service territory, though offering gas rather than water/sewer services.
• Liberty Utilities (formerly Empire District Electric): Investor-owned regulated utility serving southwest Missouri including areas adjacent to West Plains. Comparable as a larger electric distribution peer operating in the same regional service territory with overlapping customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCXsxQdLtkZi1yTE2J7EzaGA
• Facebookfacebook.com/CityOfWestPlains
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/city-of-west-plains

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 West Plains