Claremore presents $135 million proposed budget for 2025–26; public hearings set for June

Claremore City Council received an initial presentation of the city's proposed fiscal 2025—026 budget that totals about $135,000,000 and includes planned public hearings in June before a final adoption vote.

Grady Lemons, finance department, told the council the total proposed budget includes interfund transfers and results in a projected operating budget of roughly $113,500,000.

The presentation emphasized that large dollar figures in the packet include rollovers and multi-year capital projects rather than entirely new recurring spending. Lemons said there is "about 10 or $11,000,000" of rollover spending for projects or equipment that did not complete in the prior fiscal year. He also described a projected increase in sales-tax revenue tied to a 4-cent sales tax measure that takes effect July 1.

Lemons outlined several major capital and program items in the proposed plan: a $5.9 million ONG extension-line project (with the city expecting $4.9 million to be reimbursed by the state, leaving about $1 million locally), a $3 million reconductor project to address voltage and aging pole issues in the north part of the city, and a planned $1.3 million fire truck (a multi-year procurement with extended lead time). He said the city budgets conservatively for sales and use taxes and has included roughly $4.99 million of new city sales-tax revenue and $2.8 million of use-tax revenue in the draft.

The budget presentation also summarized grant and recovery programs: the city expects continuing receipts from the federal opioid settlement (about $499,000 annually based on population allocations) and continues to pursue FEMA reimbursements tied to tornado recovery work; Lemons said the city expects approximately $15 million from FEMA in the coming fiscal year though portions remain in dispute and some reimbursements were delayed.

Enterprise funds and utilities were covered: electric operations include an estimated $34 million in revenue with a net purchase cost of about $20.5 million, and the city is working to reduce dependency on general-fund transfers from utilities over time. The water treatment plant project funded by a 2023 OWRB loan has about $21,600,000 remaining to spend; staff reported long-lead filtration tanks recently arrived onsite. The Claremore Cultural Development Authority (rec center and expo) and sanitation, parks, police and fire departmental capital needs were also summarized.

Deputy Mayor and other council members were told that this presentation is introductory and that staff will circulate the full packet and detailed line items after the meeting; the council will hold three required public hearings in June (for CCDA, CPWA and the council) and is scheduled to consider final adoption at the second council meeting in June.

The presentation did not include a final adoption vote; council members asked for the detailed materials to be distributed to them and to the public before the hearing period.