Wagoner council approves FY2025-26 city and EMS budgets after discussion on sales-tax projections
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Summary
The Wagoner City Council adopted the FY2025-26 city and EMS budgets and heard staff explain sales-tax projection rules and cash-on-hand treatment; councilmembers asked for clearer monthly/quarterly reporting.
The Wagoner City Council approved a resolution accepting the City of Wagoner and Wagoner EMS budgets for fiscal year 2025–26 at a special-call meeting on July 23, 2025.
During budget discussion, councilmembers pressed staff for clearer sales-tax projections and how projected revenue affects the amount the city may expend. “Ninety percent of revenues has to be acquired before you expend,” Laura Lisonbee, a staff member, told the council while explaining the conservative approach to budgeting and the treatment of cash on hand. Staff and councilmembers discussed projected sales-tax figures cited in the meeting transcript (examples discussed in the meeting included $3,500,000, $4,000,000 and a printed projection of $5,027,000); staff emphasized those figures are projections and that funds exceeding conservative projections are moved into cash on hand for next year’s budget.
Councilmembers asked that staff present the sales-tax numbers more clearly going forward and suggested monthly or quarterly charts to track receipts and the portion reserved for the Economic Development Fund (EDF). Staff offered to prepare monthly or quarterly sales-tax spreadsheets and charts to show revenue flows, EDF reservations and cash-on-hand movements; councilmembers accepted that offer.
The council approved the budgets by roll call; the recorded votes on the resolution accepting the FY2025–26 City of Wagoner and Wagoner EMS budgets were: Sampson — yes; Wagoner — yes; Thomas — yes; Higginbotham — yes; Wright — yes; Butler — yes; Wilson — no; North — yes. The motion passed.
Earlier agenda items included planning discussion for the Wagoner EMS budget and consideration of several budget amendments; those amendments drew little debate and were moved on with no substantive change recorded in the transcript.
Staff noted that sales-tax receipts are reported monthly and shown in the city’s financial book and audit; councilmembers requested that staff place a sales-tax projection number on the top of the annual budget documents to simplify year-to-year tracking. Staff said quarterly or monthly charts could be provided to give a clearer view of financial health and EDF reservations.
