Council introduces $21.2 million budget amendment, sets March public hearing

Oklahoma City municipal leaders introduced a fiscal-year 2024–25 budget amendment Thursday that increases the city budget by $21,200,000 and will bring the total budget to just over $2,030,000,000. The council voted to introduce the amendment and set a public hearing in March.

Chris York, the city's budget director, told council members the amendment reflects new and unanticipated revenue and capital needs across several funds. “The increase today is $21,200,000 and that will bring the city budget to just over $2,030,000,000,” York said. He outlined major changes by fund: roughly $8,900,000 of additional hotel-motel tax authority tied to a voter-approved rate increase; $2,950,000 in state-matched tax-increment financing receipts for the Dell and Omni convention-center projects; $1,200,000 for utility responses to waterline breaks; and multiple public-safety capital increases totaling roughly $8,000,000 across fire, MAPS 3 and police equipment categories.

York said the hotel-motel increase reflects the October change in the tax rate from 5.5% to 9.25% and that, when normalized, hotel tax receipts still show nearly 3% growth versus the prior year for the quarter covered in the report. He told council members the amendment will be brought back for public comment and formal adoption at the March hearing.

The council voted unanimously to introduce the amendment; adoption will require the later public hearing and final vote. The introduction does not by itself authorize spending.