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 the senior center to add accessible restrooms, a remodeled kitchen (to support caterer operations), enclosed fitness and multiuse spaces, and exterior pickleball courts. Engineers and architects produced renderings and a phased schedule; construction documents are targeted for completion late in the year with possible construction in early 2026, contingent on budget approval. - Parks: The budget includes a planned $950,000 commitment toward replacing Regional Park’s playground (referred to as Spirit Playground) and other parks maintenance and improvements. Staff said some funds for parks come from a 0.4015 sales‑tax allocation under the city’s capital programs. - Police capital and public‑safety technology: The police department’s capital program includes approximately $2.57 million in planned capital outlays; staff proposed a maintenance and partial buildout step for the department’s real‑time crime center and a program to add about 50 cameras across parks and trails and 11 park sites. The chief also proposed off‑road patrol equipment (a purpose‑built Polaris Ranger) and electric bicycles for trail patrols; staff emphasized camera siting would be determined by police operational needs. - Drainage and stormwater: Council and staff discussed longstanding drainage issues across multiple neighborhoods and signaled an intent to prioritize downstream engineering and maintenance. Staff noted a previously created funding stream (a sales‑tax allocation referenced as 0.4015 and related rate changes) that will be used to build stormwater capacity over time; they said available annual capital for drainage remains limited compared with the backlog of required work. - Transit subsidy: The city learned late that its subsidy for Embark Route 15 increased; staff said the city currently has about $150,000 of dedicated street‑tax revenue and must cover roughly $236,749 in subsidy costs for the route, leaving a gap the general fund would have to fill if service is expanded. No immediate service expansion was approved. - Pools and parks operations: Staff said resurfacing work on the municipal pool is paid and scheduled; the city hopes to open the pool in time for summer (target dates were discussed but not guaranteed). Parks maintenance and seasonal staffing were noted as rising costs. - Sanitation and bulk pickup: The city continues quarterly bulk‑pickup service; staff and council discussed whether the current customer charge for special pickups is below full cost and whether changes are needed. Recycling contract timelines were flagged: the council will revisit the contract before renewal next year and consider options including rebidding or altering the service model.

Discussion, constraints and next steps Council members pressed for more detail on project phasing and on options to avoid shifting costs into the general fund. Several members emphasized drainage needs for already‑developed neighborhoods and asked that priority be given to problem locations where residents currently face repeated flooding.

Staff repeatedly emphasized the “flat revenue” projection and that many one‑time capital needs must be paid from fund balances or dedicated revenue streams. Several departments’ capital requests were described as multi‑year priorities that will be phased to spread cost. The work session did not include formal votes; staff said the budget will be presented as a formal agenda item at the June 10 council meeting for adoption or further amendments.

What the city will do next: staff will finalize the formal budget documents for council consideration on June 10, advance design work and solicit construction estimates where appropriate, and return with additional detail on timing and funding sources for the senior center, Spirit Playground and drainage projects.