City of Benton Harbor

What City of Benton Harbor does

The City of Benton Harbor is an incorporated municipal government entity located in Berrien County, Michigan, operating under a council-manager form of government established by its 1945 charter. It serves approximately 9,103 residents across 4.63 square miles, governed by nine elected commissioners led by Mayor Marcus Muhammad with day-to-day administration handled by City Manager Alex Little. The city's service portfolio spans water and sanitation utilities (12 MGD treatment capacity, 100% lead service line replacement completed), police and fire services through the Department of Public Safety, building permits and inspections, code compliance and zoning enforcement, parks and recreation across 13 parks, property tax assessment, income tax collection, and community/economic development programs administered through HUD CDBG entitlement funding.

The underlying technology stack is composed of conventional municipal IT: a public website (bhcity.us) built on the Municipal One platform, the BSA Online payment portal for taxes and utility billing, an ArcGIS-powered LSLR Status Dashboard mapping lead service line replacement status, and a YouTube-based live streaming platform for City Commission meetings. Digital service channels include email subscriptions, text alert opt-in, Facebook engagement via the DDA and Department of Public Safety pages, and an Instagram presence. City offices are distributed across three locations: City Hall at 200 E Wall St (administration, clerk, finance, HR, community development), the Department of Public Safety at 251 E. Market St, and the renovated Water Treatment Plant at Jean Klock Park.

The city's revenue model is non-commercial, funded through a mix of tax revenue (1% city income tax on residents and businesses, 0.5% on non-residents, property tax millage rates), user fees (water and trash utility billing, building permits, business and rental registration fees), licensing fees (marijuana Class C provisioning, processing, and retail), grants (HUD CDBG entitlement, EPA, EGLE), and intergovernmental partnerships. Customers are segmented primarily by geography (city residents) and business status (registered local businesses, including licensed marijuana operators), with secondary segments of low-to-moderate income households eligible for HUD programs and visitors to the social district.

Name

City of Benton Harbor

Legal name

City of Benton Harbor

Website

https://bhcity.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The City of Benton Harbor is a municipal government serving 9,103 residents across 4.63 square miles in Berrien County, Michigan, providing water/sanitation, public safety, code enforcement, zoning, parks, building permits, and community development under a council-manager structure.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Administration and Municipal Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Sewage Treatment Facilities (22132)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Sanitary Services (4950), Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Works Departments (Streets, Bridges, Stormwater, Fleet, Maintenance) (BPAIALAD)

Keywords

• Municipal government services
• Water utility services
• Building permits inspections
• Public safety services
• Community development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Benton Harbor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. City Income Tax: Income tax collected from residents (1%), businesses (1%), and non-residents working in the city (0.5%). Revenue is used to pave, repair, and maintain city streets.
2. Property Tax Revenue: Property taxes assessed on real estate within city limits, including millage rates for fiscal year 2025-2026
3. Utility Services: Water service and trash services billed to residents and businesses. The city has completed 100% lead service line replacements.
4. Building Permits and Fees: Fees collected for building permits, plan reviews, commercial permits, zoning applications, and various business licenses
5. Business Registration and Rental Fees: Annual business registration fees and rental property registration fees required for all businesses and residential rentals operating within city limits
6. Marijuana Business Licensing: Licensing fees from medical and recreational marijuana facilities including Class C licenses, processors, provisioning centers, and retailers

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The City of Benton Harbor delivers municipal government services to approximately 9,103 residents across 4.63 square miles in Berrien County, Michigan. Core offerings include water and trash utility services, building permits and inspections, zoning and land use administration, public safety (police and fire), code compliance and business registration, parks and recreation management, property tax assessment, city income tax collection, elections administration, and community/economic development programs funded through HUD Community Development Block Grants. The city has completed 100% of lead service line replacements and operates a renovated water treatment plant with 12 MGD capacity.

Product overview

The City of Benton Harbor operates a comprehensive digital services platform at bhcity.us, providing residents access to municipal government functions through a unified website built on the Municipal One platform. The core offerings include the official city website with integrated online payment processing via BSA Online, the LSLR Status Dashboard for tracking lead service line replacements, City Commission meeting management with YouTube streaming, building permits and inspections, code compliance services, water department utilities, Community Development Block Grant programs, parks and recreation management, and zoning services. The platform serves as the primary digital interface between the city government and its approximately 9,103 residents across 4.63 square miles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water Utility Services Water treatment and distribution service for residents and businesses, including consumer confidence reports, water quality reporting, lead service line replacement program (100% completed), and online water bill payment via BSA Online. Sourced from the renovated water plant at Jean Klock Park with 12 MGD capacity.
• Building Permits and Inspections Building permit application processing, plan review submissions, and inspection scheduling for construction projects. Covers Michigan Residential Code, Michigan Building Code, plumbing, mechanical, and electrical codes. Fees based on project value with required plan review for commercial projects.
• Code Compliance and Business Registration Annual business registration, rental property registration, code enforcement, and inspection services including annual fire and building inspections for registered rental properties per City Ordinance.
• Marijuana Business Licensing Licensing program for medical and recreational marijuana facilities operating within city limits, including Class C licenses, provisioning centers, processors, and retailers.
• Zoning and Land Use Services Zoning compliance administration, rezoning applications, site plan reviews, and variance applications. Regulated by the city's updated zoning ordinance adopted July 2025 and amended March 2026.
• Parks and Recreation Services Management of 13 city parks including Armory Community Center, Jean Klock Park, Union Park, and rental facilities. Includes pavilion reservations and various recreational programs overseen by the Benton Harbor Parks and Recreation Conservancy.
• Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Programs HUD-funded programs for housing rehabilitation loans, blight elimination, and neighborhood development administered through the Community and Economic Development department. Operates under the city's HUD Entitlement Community status providing annual federal funding.
• City Income Tax Administration City income tax collection and filing services for residents (1%), businesses (1%), and non-residents working in the city (0.5%). Exemption amount of $750 available. Governed by Income Tax Act 284 of 1964. Revenue used to pave, repair, and maintain city streets.
• Property Tax Assessment Services Property tax assessment services for real estate within city limits, including annual millage rate administration, assessing calendar, and poverty/hardship exemption processing.
• Online Payment Portal Digital payment platform via BSA Online for residents and businesses to pay property taxes, utility bills (water and trash), and various city fees online.
• LSLR Status Dashboard Interactive web-based dashboard powered by ArcGIS providing real-time information and mapping about the lead service line replacement project throughout the city. Tracks 100% lead service line replacement completion status.
• City Commission Meeting Portal Public platform for accessing City Commission agendas, minutes, videos, and meeting schedules. All meetings are streamed live on the City of Benton Harbor YouTube channel and archived for public viewing.

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cornerstone AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary business resource for new business development and growth support. Offers full range of start-up and early growth services to help businesses stay and grow in southwestern Michigan.
• Kinexus (formerly Michigan Works!)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHub for workforce, community, and business development services in southwestern Michigan. Provides wide array of services for regional vitality.
• Southwest Michigan Community Action Agency (SWMCAA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThird Party Administrator for Home Rehabilitation Loan Program. Assists people in economic need enabling self-sufficiency through food assistance, temporary shelter, weatherization, housing development, and educational services.
• Southwestern Michigan Planning Commission (SWMPC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerServes tri-county area promoting sustainable quality of life through sound planning. Focus includes community, economic, and environmental planning including transportation.
• Southwestern Michigan Tourist CouncilminorOthersPromotes attractions in the Benton Harbor region including lodging, entertainment, recreation, shopping, and business services.
• Twin Cities Area Transportation Authority (TCATA)minorOthersTransit system serving Benton Harbor area since 1978. Provides dial-a-ride, fixed routes, fares and schedules for public transportation.
• Benton Harbor Housing CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMission to provide safe, sanitary, and affordable housing for Benton Harbor residents.
• Benton Harbor Parks and Recreation ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner501(c)(3) non-profit organization responsible for overall management and improvement of the thirteen parks in the city.
• Benton Harbor Public LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerServes over 20,000 residents of the city and Benton Charter Township with access to over 100,000 books, DVDs, periodicals, and other items.
• Environmental Consulting and Technology Inc. (ECT)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEnvironmental consulting firm specializing in solving complex environmental issues. Works closely with Benton Harbor Brownfield Redevelopment Authority for environmental revitalization.
• Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE)coreOthersState agency overseeing drinking water compliance, lead service line replacement, corrosion control, and funding for water infrastructure projects.
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)coreOthersFederal agency overseeing Lead Service Line Replacement Project and requiring Consumer Confidence Reports for the public water system.
• Berrien County Health DepartmentcoreOthersIdentified lead service line replacement project successes as 100% replacement meeting or exceeding lead standards under Federal Safe Drinking Water Act and Michigan's Lead and Copper Rule.
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)coreOthersProvides annual Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) entitlement funds to the city as an Entitlement Community.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• City of Kalamazoo, Michigan: Larger Michigan municipal government operating similar utility, public-safety, zoning, and parks functions. Useful as a scaled-up benchmark for service delivery costs, digital modernization, and brownfield redevelopment practices.
• Tyler Technologies: Major provider of software solutions to municipal and county governments (ERP, permitting, public safety, courts). Comparable target customer base and adjacent product offerings to the city's own digital service stack.

Direct peers

• City of Holland, Michigan: Comparable Michigan municipal government operating under a council-manager structure with similar service mix (utilities, public safety, zoning, parks). Similar population-tier governance challenges in West Michigan, with a more diversified economic base.
• City of St. Joseph, Michigan: Adjacent Berrien County municipality and joint sewage-disposal partner under the 2024 Act 1229 ordinance. Directly comparable in scale, governance structure (council-manager), and service mix (water, public safety, zoning), making it the most natural operational peer.
• Benton Charter Township: Immediately adjacent township sharing library services with Benton Harbor (20,000+ residents served —). Overlapping service area and population make it a direct peer for utility service provision and tax-base dynamics.
• City of Niles, Michigan: Southwest Michigan city of similar size (~11,000 residents) with comparable municipal services, water utility operations, and Rust Belt economic profile. Direct peer for benchmarking service delivery and revenue-model performance.
• Berrien County: County-level government overlapping Benton Harbor's jurisdiction and a partner in the joint sewage facility. Provides comparable public-sector services at a larger scale (health department, infrastructure oversight), making it the natural government-level peer.

Others

• Granicus: Government communications, agenda/meeting management, and transparency software provider widely used by U.S. municipalities. Comparable to Benton Harbor's YouTube-streamed commission meetings and public-notice workflow.
• CivicPlus: Provider of the Municipal One platform that powers bhcity.us. Enabling technology peer — directly supports the city's primary digital service-delivery channel and is a relevant vendor/ecosystem participant.

Regional players

• Cornerstone Alliance: Core regional economic development partner providing business attraction, retention, and growth services in southwestern Michigan. Operates in the same economic-development value chain as Benton Harbor's DDA and Brownfield Redevelopment Authority.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC9DEFbfs8wusYTsTK6Cat4A
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• Instagraminstagram.com/bentonharborcity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/benton-harbor-city

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 records

Subsidiaries5 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 Benton Harbor