LAWTON, OK — The Lawton City Council approved a waiver of portions of its own budget policy Tuesday night, while a separate discussion before the Lawton Water Authority signaled that City officials are weighing utility rate increases tied to long-running water and sewer infrastructure needs.
The Council’s consent agenda passed 7–0, with Councilman Tarron Epps absent. No items were pulled for individual consideration, and two items were struck prior to the vote.
Item 22: Council Waives Portions of Budget Policy 4-1
On the consent agenda, the Council approved Item 22, waiving Sections 1–4 of Council Policy 4-1 for the FY2027 budget cycle.
According to the agenda packet, those sections include:
- the April 1 preliminary budget submission deadline; and
- requirements tied to funding for street and park maintenance.
Because the item passed on consent, it was approved without discussion on the dais.
Following the meeting, Lawton Town Crier reached out to City Manager John Ratliff for clarification.
Ratliff said the waiver was driven by two primary factors.
First, he said the policy predates CIP 2040, which established dedicated sales tax funding streams for streets and parks—making the older requirement to fund those areas through the General Fund outdated.
“Because the CIP’s passed and now we have a quarter cent that is permanently allocated for park maintenance and a quarter cent that is permanently allocated for street maintenance, I don’t need to dedicate operational funds for that anymore,” Ratliff said.
Second, Ratliff confirmed the City will not meet the April 1 preliminary budget deadline.
“I’m not going to have it ready,” Ratliff said. “There’s a few things that we need to work out, and so it will be submitted later in the budget cycle.”
He added that state law still governs the final budget adoption timeline closer to the start of the fiscal year.
Water Authority Discussion Signals Potential Rate Increases
Earlier in the evening, the Lawton Water Authority received an updated water and wastewater rate study outlining the financial condition of the system.
The presentation indicated that current rates are not generating sufficient revenue to fully support operations, debt obligations, and long-term capital needs. Rising costs, aging infrastructure, and ongoing rehabilitation demands were cited as key factors.
For a typical residential customer using approximately 5,000 gallons per month, the proposal discussed would result in:
- roughly $5 more per month for water; and
- roughly $10 more per month for sewer
for a combined increase of about $15 per month.
No vote was taken. The discussion was informational, with any formal rate action expected to return as part of the broader FY2027 budget process.
“Are We Charging Enough?” — Pressure on the System
Council members directly questioned whether the utility is currently charging enough to sustain itself.
The discussion made clear that under current conditions, the system is not fully covering its long-term obligations.
Council members also raised the issue of transfers from the utility fund to the General Fund. During the exchange, it was acknowledged that those transfers affect the system’s ability to fully fund its own operations and capital needs.
That connection matters.
On the same night the Council waived portions of its own budget policy, it also heard a presentation outlining the potential need to increase what residents pay each month for water and sewer service.
A Long-Running Infrastructure Issue
The City’s water and sewer infrastructure challenges are not new.
Officials referenced ongoing rehabilitation efforts, aging lines, and continued capital demands. The City also maintains a sewer rehabilitation fee—currently about $2.75 per month—which generates roughly $1 million annually for system repairs.
Lawton Town Crier has also reviewed archived City Council agenda materials from 2007, obtained through the Wayback Machine, showing that sewer rehabilitation, system expansion, and infrastructure funding were active policy discussions at that time.
Those records include:
- sewer expansion planning tied to growth areas,
- impact fee collection and allocation for water and sewer projects, and
- voter-approved funding connected to EPA/ODEQ-mandated sewer rehabilitation work.
Taken together, those documents show the City has been aware of—and actively managing—these infrastructure challenges for nearly two decades.
Why This Matters Going Into FY2027
Tuesday night’s meeting placed two realities side by side:
- the City is adjusting its internal budget policy and timeline; and
- it is evaluating whether residents will need to pay more to sustain core infrastructure systems.
The vote on Item 22 was procedural. The water rate discussion was informational.
But both point to the same underlying issue: as Lawton moves into the FY2027 budget cycle, financial pressure tied to long-term infrastructure—particularly water and sewer—is no longer theoretical.
It is now surfacing in both policy decisions and rate discussions at the same time.
Transparency Note
Lawton Town Crier requested comment from City Manager John Ratliff following the meeting. His responses are included to provide context alongside the public record.