Midwest City reviews flat budget; $1 million proposed for senior center, parks and public‑safety investments highlighted

Midwest City staff presented a draft FY2025–26 budget at a June work session, saying total city expenditures across funds are about $227.4 million and highlighting several one‑time and near‑term spending priorities. The draft keeps operating revenue projections essentially flat and directs previously accumulated fund balance toward capital projects and facility upgrades.

City leaders told the council that the general fund operating budget is roughly $45 million, with about $11.6 million budgeted for the police department and $9.3 million for the fire department. Staff said they are using a conservative revenue forecast, averaging the last two years of actual collections, and reported May sales tax receipts were up about 0.71% versus the same period last year, close to projections.

Why this matters: the city is trying to balance constrained revenue with continuing maintenance and capital needs. Council members and staff focused on specific project funding requests that would be covered by fund balances, dedicated sales‑tax allocations or transfers rather than by raising general operating taxes.

Key allocations and proposals - Senior center renovations: Staff proposed placing about $1,000,000 of prior fund‑balance money into a phased renovation of…