The Bartlesville City Council voted Monday to approve the 2025-26 Fiscal Year operating and capital budgets following a lengthy workshop meeting to discuss the items last week.
The budgets will go into effect on July 1, when the new fiscal year begins.
The operating budget includes a projected 1 percent overall decline in sales tax revenue from Fiscal Year 2025-25 to FY 2025-26, or a $232,000 decrease in sales tax across the organization. A 2 percent decrease is projected in use tax revenue.
“We have always budgeted very conservatively, and the FY 2025-26 operating budget is no exception to that,” said City Manager Mike Bailey. “Because of this, we are in a good position today and should be able to weather temporary downturns in the economy, should they occur.”
Bailey said while financial projections at any time can contain miscalculations, the current economic outlook is even less predictable than usual due to the much-talked about tariffs.
“We don’t know what effect, if any, the tariffs will have on the economy and what that might mean for us,” he said. “We have budgeted as conservatively as possible to help offset any negative effects, but it is impossible to predict how they, along with the potential disruption in the supply chain, might affect municipalities.”
Sales tax is expected to generate approximately $23 million during the next fiscal year. The use tax is estimated to generate about $4.7 million over the next fiscal year.
Total resources and revenue in the General Fund are expected to exceed $42.1 million, with expenditures totaling $40.8 million.
UTILITY FEES & RATES
Included in the proposed budget are utility rate increases totaling about 4.9 percent. The increases, which will start July 1, are anticipated to cost the average utility customer approximately $5.53 per month.
The increases are based on a comprehensive water and wastewater rate study conducted in 2020-21 and are required to improve the City’s utility infrastructure, including an expansion of the waste water treatment system, which is expected to cost upwards of $85 million. The improvements are required the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality for the City to meet State and Federal regulations.
STAFFING LEVELS, PAY INCREASES
The proposed budget includes 11 new positions including four additional firefighter positions and seven new positions for Adams Golf Course.
“We previously contracted with then-Golf Pro Jerry Benedict for the operation of the Pro Shop at the golf course, so when Jerry retired last year we also lost his employees, the Pro Shop inventory and leases for other equipment at the golf course,” said Assistant City Manager Laura Sanders. “These seven positions will fully staff the golf course now that it is directly under the operation of the City.”
Adams Golf Course has been closed since November 2024 to accommodate the ongoing greens replacement project. Plans are to reopen the course in September.
All general City employees will receive a 2.5 percent Cost of Living Adjustment, and eligible employees, or those who have not reached the top of their pay scale, will receive an additional 2.5 percent merit increase.
Pay increases for police officers and firefighters will be determined as a result of ongoing negotiations with the police and fire unions.
BDA, VISIT BARTLESVILLE
The council also approved operating budgets for Bartlesville Development Authority ($690,000) and Visit Bartlesville ($445,000).
The BDA is the economic arm of the City and is funded through the Quarter-cent Economic Development sales tax. Visit Bartlesville focuses on the City’s tourism efforts and is funded primarily through the hotel-motel tax. Both are governed by individual boards, though funding approval through City tax revenue is required by the City Council.
See the Fiscal Year 2025-26 Operating Budget in its entirety HERE.
The map above indicates completed projects that have been approved by voters through General Obligation Bond and Capital Improvement Sales Tax (CIP) elections since 1999. The City holds G.O. Bond elections every few years to fund capital projects. The CIP sales tax extension election is held every five years. The upcoming fiscal year will be the fifth in the five-year cycle.
Council approves Capital Budget for FY 2025-26
In addition to the City’s operating budget, the City Council also approved capital projects for funding during the upcoming fiscal year.
Funding for the projects has been identified through the 2020 Half-cent Sales Tax Extension and the Enterprise Fund 5-Year Capital plans.
Capital projects slated for funding in FY 2025-26 include:
- Street repairs
- Fire engine vehicle
- City Hall security carpet replacement
- Drainage improvements
- Replacement vehicles
- Mowers and other park maintenance equipment
- Computers and servers
- City facility improvements