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Lawton council delays charter review, citing $40 million operating shortfall
Summary
Councilmembers voted to table planned Lawton City Charter review and related meetings because staff are focused on addressing a projected $40 million operating deficit; motion carried 6-0.
The Lawton City Council voted to table meetings to consider potential amendments to the City Charter that had been targeted for an upcoming election date of Sept. 9, 2025, citing an urgent need to focus staff time and council attention on closing a projected operating shortfall of about $40 million. The motion to table carried 6-0.
The council discussed the timing during a public agenda item following executive session. John, the city manager, briefed the council on the budget outlook and said the current standing requests would leave expenditures exceeding revenue by approximately $40,000,000 if not addressed. He said the city’s operating revenue is “almost exclusively sales tax,” with ad valorem revenues primarily directed to capital improvement projects.
Asked for clarification, the council confirmed the discussion referred to the operating budget, not the capital improvement program (CIP). Councilmember Hankins moved to table the charter meetings because staff is “inundated with the budget” and needs to prioritize completing the budget process; another councilmember seconded the motion and it passed 6-0.
Councilmembers emphasized that a charter review is important but not time-sensitive compared with the immediate statutory requirement to adopt a balanced budget before the fiscal-year deadline. The city manager said sales-tax projections were down roughly 4 percent, increasing the pressure to reconcile revenues and expenditures before the June 30 budget deadline.
The council did not set a new date to resume charter review at the meeting.
