Kingfisher city commissioners approved an operating budget of just under $20.9 million for the next fiscal year during their June regular meeting on Monday night.

Unanimously approving the budget of $20,885,000 were Mayor Geoff Covalt, Vice Mayor Jeff Wittrock and Commissioners Dawn Taylor and Kyle Mecklenburg.

The budget is down from last year’s total of $22.79, but slightly up from the 2023-24 budget of $18.73 million.

The 2025-26 fiscal year begins July 1.

Also present at the meeting were City Manager Jim Thomas, City Attorney Jared Harrison, City Treasurer Anita James and City Clerk Brittney Hladik.

Commissioner Debbie Burpo was unable to attend the meeting.

The agenda was filled with approvals by commissioners for the new fiscal year.

Among those items approved were an ambulance service agreement as well as the purchase of seven new body cameras for the Kingfi sher Police Department.

The latter comes at a cost of $30,600 and will replace the ones currently in use that are no longer function- ing due to age and wear issues.

Also approved was a contract with EMS Management and Consultants, Inc. to file, bill and collect Kingfisher’s ambulance payments.

Fire Chief Ryan Gibson told the commissioners that the current billing provider was several months behind in collections and, after researching the new company, he felt that EMS would provide much timelier service to the city in those collections.

Also approved was a one-time payment amendment of $62,000 to BRW Architects. That firm designed the new fire station.

The amendment is to the current contract for previous work corrections to plans, but also to ensure no other issues of changes to the fire station project would arise and to also ensure that the contracts for the jobs could be put out to bid by mid-August, avoiding further delays in the process.

Thomas commented that he and Gibson had traveled to Dallas last month to visit with the principals of the firm and express their desire that there be no more delays or additional expenses on the project.

He said the project began at $8 million and was now holding at $9.2 million and he felt confident that the construction phases would now begin on financial target in a timely fashion.

Thomas also said that he planned to host a “state of the city” meeting in mid-August with all interested citizens of the community in which the $19 million critical infrastructure needs of the city would be discussed.

He said the city now has a 10-year plan to address those needs and he welcomed input from the citizens of the community. Thomas said the location, time and date of the meeting would be announced soon.

James said the city’s finances were on target to end the year in good shape with no unexpected surprises to close out the month.

She said that currently the overall bank balances of the city were slightly over $11.4 million.

In his report, Thomas said he continued to stress the importance of a longrange plan to improve the city’s roads, storm water flow routes and water and sewage plants. He noted that the interior of the city’s water towers had not been scrubbed and cleaned in many years and he now felt that project was on the list of top priorities.

Taking up the most time at the meeting was discussion of funding construction of a concession stand and restroom facilities at Briscoe Park requested by the Soccer Club.

Ellie Darnell, spokesperson for the group, made the presentation for the club at the meeting.

Originally, to avoid delays in the bidding process, Harrison suggested that the price tag for the project should be placed at $99,000 as $100,000 was the price in which a full competitive bidding process must be legally adhered to.

Darnell noted that several local contracters had agreed to do some of the work at reduced prices.

Mecklenburg said that the overall budgeted funds for Briscoe Park improvements was $350,000 and he felt the soccer field improvements should not be limited to $99,000.

After much discussion, Covalt asked the club to pursue bids and put together a cost analysis so that the city could do a more thorough job of funding facilities of which the entire city could be proud.

He added that the city employees and administrators were at their disposal to help with the project in whatever way they possibly could.

Thomas said he would make it a high priority to speed the process along to avoid delays and pitfalls.