The Oklahoma County budget oversight committee on Jan. 9 heard a financial and operational update from detention-center staff that left open the possibility of an extra payment draw in January while the committee awaits December accounting.

Speaker 5 told the committee, “I don't have any new information for you this morning. We are preparing our December statements. And as soon as those are complete, we'll be able to start on our projections for the end of fiscal year, and we are planning to have those complete next week.” Speaker 5 also confirmed there is cash on hand and described a proposal that would allow the detention center to submit invoices that effectively draw two months of payments in January instead of one.

Committee members cautioned that advancing additional months of payment risks exhausting county reserves. Speaker 1 observed the facility “is continuing to spend at a deficit,” and asked what would happen “when the cash runs.” Speaker 3 pressed for a clearer run-out date; Speaker 5 described any estimate as “a total guesstimate” but suggested May could be a potential point of serious shortage, noting final timing depends on the December deficit.

The committee agreed to wait for the December statements before making a recommendation. Speaker 2 said the detention center should email the projections when ready and that the group could call a special meeting at the earliest convenience to review them. Speaker 1 offered to schedule the meeting if needed.

The committee did not take formal action beyond approving receipt of staff updates; members emphasized the need for the upcoming projections to determine whether short-term draws or other measures are appropriate.