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Council hears FY26 preliminary budget; public hearing set, no action taken
Summary
City staff presented the City of Lawton's proposed FY26 preliminary operating budget. Council asked questions and praised staff work but took no action; a public hearing is scheduled next Tuesday.
City staff presented the City of Lawton proposed FY26 preliminary operating budget to the Lawton City Council; the council discussed revenue projections, personnel changes and capital projects and did not take formal action. A public hearing on the budget is scheduled for next Tuesday.
Rebecca, a staff member who opened the budget presentation, emphasized the importance of timely audits and noted the city completed three audits in the past 12 months after a multi-year backlog. "Budgets and audits are the financial representation for our city... The audit is the factual and irrefutable evidence of what the city did with their budget," Rebecca said, explaining that differences between fund accounting (the budget) and government-wide accounting (the audit) had contributed to variances in prior years.
Kristen, the presenting staff member, summarized key figures in the preliminary FY26 proposal: general fund revenues are projected to increase 60.23% year over year (driven largely by reclassification of the 2.125% CIP sales tax), enterprise funds revenue is up 50.99% (largely loan proceeds), and capital improvement funds revenue shows a significant decrease tied to how sales tax receipts are recorded. She said the 2.125% CIP sales tax is budgeted at about $31.7 million and will be recorded in the general fund and then transferred to the CIP fund unless the city code is changed.
The budget presentation also detailed personnel changes: a net reduction of 26 positions across city funds is projected, saving approximately $1.6 million; some departments saw targeted additions (for example, code enforcement) while others had cuts or reassignments. Capital projects highlighted include a $6.4 million allocation for the McMahon Auditorium project and multiple loan-funded water and sewer projects pending future borrowing.
Council members praised staff for completing overdue audits and assembling a tight budget, and several councilors asked for clarifications about loan timing, CIP income, and reimbursement resolutions. Councilmember Hampton and the mayor commended staff work; the council did not vote on the preliminary budget at this meeting and will hear public comment at the scheduled hearing before any final action.
