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Oklahoma County adopts budget, approves ARPA transfers and immediate leave‑payout change
Summary
Oklahoma County commissioners adopted the annual budget, approved ARPA and other transfers including $428,399.88 for a behavioral care center, and voted to make a 640‑hour unused‑leave payout limit effective immediately (motion carried with one dissent).
The Oklahoma County Commissioners adopted the county’s annual budget and approved several transfers tied to ARPA and other funds during a short meeting. Commissioners also voted to make a newly adopted policy capping unused annual‑leave payouts at 640 hours effective immediately; the motion passed with one dissenting voice.
The board opened a public hearing on the proposed budget and, after no members of the public signed up to speak, closed the hearing and moved to adopt the statement of revenues and the annual adopted budget book as presented. A commissioner praised the results, saying the county had “funded the jail” for the current and next fiscal year as an example of accomplishments under the plan.
Miss Clayton explained an ARPA special‑revenue reallocation to allow money originally coded to employee COVID reimbursement (fund 1415371) to be moved to a top‑level ARPA code (1415365) and then distributed to community projects assigned to commissioners. The transcript records an amount written as “104,56821” for that move; the notation in the record is unclear and the precise dollar figure was not specified in the meeting record as read aloud.
The commission approved a second ARPA transfer: $428,399.88 was moved from top‑level ARPA into a project for the county’s behavioral care center. When a commissioner asked whether ARPA funds must be obligated by the end of the calendar year, Miss Clayton said subrecipients have been given until October to finalize funding so staff can close and reallocate funds from October through December; “We cannot have any funds in the bank as of December 31st,” she said.
The board also approved a transfer of appropriations related to the opioid abatement grant and a transfer for emergency management; Mr. Barnes was present for questions on the emergency management item. All of these transfers were approved by voice vote during the meeting.
On personnel policy, the commission approved making the previously adopted 640‑hour maximum payout limit for unused annual leave effective immediately so employees approaching 480 hours would not risk losing time before the end of the fiscal year (June 30). The motion carried after a voice vote; one commissioner said, “I opposed.” The meeting record did not attach a name to the dissenting voice.
No citizens registered for general comment. The assessor thanked staff for avoiding the need for a monthly tax corrections meeting this month, and another commissioner thanked the finance team for improvements to the budget book, which staff said will be posted online in the coming months.
The commission adjourned following approval of the final motion.
