city of carnation

What city of carnation does

The City of Carnation is the municipal government serving approximately 2,200 residents in Carnation, Washington, located in King County at the confluence of the Tolt and Snoqualmie rivers. It operates under a council-manager form of government with an elected Mayor (Jim Ribail), Deputy Mayor, and five-member City Council, administered by City Manager Rhonda Ender. The city delivers a standard portfolio of municipal services: water, sewer, stormwater, and garbage utility billing; parks and recreation across 17.8 acres of parkland in eight locations; building permits, business licensing, planning, and zoning; public works and emergency management; and community programs including passports, animal licensing coordination with King County, and tourism promotion.

The city's technology stack is built on the ProudCity municipal website platform with integrated third-party service portals: XpressBillPay for utility payments, SmartGov Community for permit applications and tracking, SeeClickFix for resident issue reporting, Constant Contact for newsletter distribution, Zoom for remote council meeting participation, and Microsoft SharePoint for document and records management. The digital infrastructure supports both self-service resident interactions and back-office administrative workflows.

Revenue is generated through four primary streams: recurring property taxes from residents and businesses, recurring monthly utility billing (water, sewer, stormwater, and Recology-managed garbage collection), transaction-based permit and license fees, and transaction-based facility rental revenue from parks, shelters, sports courts, and council chambers. The city distributes services through direct channels including in-person City Hall operations, online self-service portals, and community engagement via bi-weekly council meetings and digital newsletters. The organization employs 11-50 staff across management, public works, community economic development, communications, and administrative functions, and has received regional recognition including consecutive 425 Magazine 'Best City in the 425' awards in 2025 and 2026, a Tree City USA designation, and a State of Washington rural tourism grant.

Name

city of carnation

Legal name

City of Carnation

Website

https://carnationwa.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1912

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The City of Carnation is a municipal government in King County, Washington, serving approximately 2,200 residents with water, sewer, stormwater, and garbage utilities, parks and recreation, permits, planning, public works, and emergency management services delivered through a ProudCity-powered digital platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Government Services

NAICS

Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (925), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310), Sewage Treatment Facilities (221320), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219), Landscaping Services (56173)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Refuse Systems (4953), Local & Suburban Transit & Interurban Hwy Passenger Trans (4100), Sanitary Services (4950), Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services (BPAIACAI), Local Transportation, Parking & Mobility Administration (BPAIACAM), Housing & Neighborhood Services (Local Housing Programs) (BPAIACAJ), Community Development & Neighborhood Revitalization (CDBG, Place-Based Initiatives) (BPAIANAE), Public Works / In-House Municipal Collection Operations (EUAIAAAF)

Keywords

• Municipal government services
• Public utility billing
• Parks and recreation
• Planning and permits
• Waste management services

Headquarters

HQ city

Carnation

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Property Taxes: Primary revenue source from property taxes collected from Carnation residents and businesses for general municipal operations and services.
2. Utility Billing Services: Water, sewer, stormwater, and garbage collection fees charged to utility customers. Garbage services provided through Recology. Additional utility discounts available for qualifying residents.
3. Permit and License Fees: Revenue from building permits, business licenses, special use permits, and other planning/development fees. Business licensing through Washington State Department of Revenue partnership.
4. Facility Rentals and Reservations: Revenue from reserving city facilities including Council Chambers, Tolt Commons Shelter, Valley Memorial Park Shelter, Rivers Edge Park Shelter, and Sports Courts. Street closures require permits and fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The City of Carnation operates as a municipal government providing public services to its residents and local businesses. Its core offerings include water, sewer, stormwater, and garbage (via Recology) utility billing, parks and recreation across eight parks totaling 17.8 acres, building permits and planning services, public works operations, emergency management, capital improvement project delivery, and community programs such as passport services, animal licensing, and Tree City USA. Residents access services through City Hall in person or via online portals including XpressBillPay, SmartGov, and SeeClickFix.

Product overview

The City of Carnation operates as a municipal government offering a comprehensive suite of public services through its website. The city's digital offerings are built on the ProudCity platform and include utility billing services (water, sewer, storm drainage via Xpress Bill Pay), parks and recreation management (8 parks across 17.8 acres with facility reservations), waste management through Recology, permit and planning services, capital improvement project coordination, and community programs. The city also provides online resident services including problem reporting via SeeClickFix, newsletter subscriptions through Constant Contact, and remote participation options for City Council meetings via Zoom, with documents archived on SharePoint.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Utility Billing Services Municipal utility billing services including water, sewer, and storm drainage billed monthly to residential and commercial customers, with online payment via XpressBillPay, payment arrangements, water leak credits, and discount programs for income-qualified residents. Garbage collection is delivered through Recology.
• Parks and Recreation System Operations and maintenance of eight city parks — Fred Hockert Park, Nick Loutsis Park, River's Edge Park, Tolt Commons, Tolt Triangle, Valley Memorial Park, and others — totaling 17.8 acres, with facility reservations for Council Chambers, Tolt Commons Shelter, Valley Memorial Park Shelter, Rivers Edge Park Shelter, Sports Courts, and street closures.
• Waste Management Services Garbage and recycling collection services provided to Carnation residents under a franchise agreement with Recology, with discount applications available for income-qualifying residents.
• Planning and Permits Development review, permit processing, land use planning, and zoning services for residential and commercial projects, including accessory dwelling unit (ADU) permitting and environmental reviews, delivered through the SmartGov Community portal.
• Business Licensing Business license issuance for commercial enterprises operating within Carnation city limits, delivered through a partnership with the Washington State Business Licensing Service that allows single-application registration with both city and state.
• Capital Improvement Projects Program Planning and execution of city infrastructure improvements across transportation, parks, utilities, and public facilities under the 2025-2026 Capital Improvement Project & Parks Program.
• City Council Meeting Services City Council governance services including bi-weekly public meetings (first and third Tuesday), in-person and remote attendance via Zoom, and archival of agendas, recordings, and minutes through Microsoft SharePoint.
• Community Programs City-sponsored community programs including Tree City USA designation, passport services, animal licensing (via King County), community events, and other resident-facing services listed on the City Programs page.

Quantifiable outcome

• Best City in the 425 award recognition (425 Magazine, 2025-2026)
• +1 more outcomes

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

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• RecologycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRecology provides garbage and recycling collection services to Carnation residents under a franchise agreement. The city offers discount programs for qualifying low-income residents through Recology.
• Puget Sound EnergyminorOthersPuget Sound Energy provides energy assistance programs for utility customers. Carnation shares PSE assistance program information with residents to help with energy costs.
• State of Washington TourismcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe City of Carnation received a rural tourism grant from State of Washington Tourism to develop the Carnation Music Spot and Carnation Beauty Spot promotional materials showcasing local attractions, music scene, and natural beauty.
• King CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKing County provides regional services including animal licensing, concealed pistol licensing, and emergency management coordination. The city works with King County on transportation projects, flood control, and regional planning initiatives.
• Washington State Business Licensing ServicecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe City partners with the State of Washington's Business Licensing Service, allowing businesses to register with both city and state at one time through a single application process.
• 425 MagazineminorGTM or Marketing Partner425 Magazine recognized Carnation as the Best City in the 425 for 2025 and 2026, providing media coverage and promotional recognition for the city.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• City of Snoqualmie: Neighboring King County municipality in the Snoqualmie Valley serving a similar small-city population with comparable utilities, parks, permitting, and public works functions. Closest geographic and functional peer.
• City of North Bend: Adjacent Snoqualmie Valley municipality with a similar population scale and service mix including utilities, parks, public works, and community development.
• City of Duvall: Small King County city operating similar municipal services (water, sewer, stormwater, parks, planning) for a comparable resident base in the Snoqualmie Valley / northeast King County area.
• Town of Skykomish: Very small Snohomish County town providing a comparable minimal-staff municipal services model, illustrating the operating constraints Carnation faces at small scale.
• City of Pacific: Very small King County municipality offering a similar core municipal services bundle, making it a relevant comparable for budget scale and operational scope.
• City of Enumclaw: Small King County municipality slightly larger than Carnation but operating a directly comparable municipal services portfolio including utilities, parks, planning, and public works.
• City of Black Diamond: Small King County city with a comparable population, providing municipal utilities, permitting, public works, and parks services through a similar lean staffing model.

Broad incumbents

• King County Government: Regional government partner that delivers several overlapping services to Carnation residents (animal licensing, emergency management, regional planning), making it the most relevant broad-incumbent peer.
• City of Kirkland: Larger King County city providing the same categories of municipal services (utilities, parks, permitting, public works) but at meaningfully greater scale, useful as an upper-bound benchmark.

Regional players

• City of Woodinville: Larger King County municipality in the same broader region offering overlapping municipal services but at greater scale, useful as a benchmark for service delivery models.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/carnationwa
• Facebookfacebook.com/CarnationWA
• Instagraminstagram.com/cityofcarnation/?hl=en
• TikToktiktok.com/@thecityofcarnation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carnationwa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 carnation