City Council sets public hearings and opens FY 2026 budget process

The Oklahoma City Council voted unanimously to set public hearings on the proposed fiscal year 2026 budget and opened the series of department presentations that will inform final action this summer.

The vote was on a resolution setting May 13 and May 27 as initial public hearing dates and June 3 as the formal city council public hearing on the FY 2026 proposed annual budget. The motion "passes unanimously," Mayor Holt said, after the council cast its votes.

City Manager (name not specified) told the council the process is beginning with the manager's proposed budget but that "it is ours to consider, approve or amend along the way," and that the next steps include multiple departmental presentations and additional hearings. Chris York, the city's budget director, told the council the proposed total budget is about $2,054,000,000, "which is a 2.47% increase," and reviewed key revenue and expenditure assumptions.

Why this matters: the proposed budget frames city services and capital work for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025. Council members pressed staff on the revenue outlook — primarily…