Bethany City Council hears budget highlights

BETHANY (Okla) — On Tuesday, the Bethany city council met for a short end-of-April meeting to discuss a few items of City business.

Here are the topics:

• Councilmembers and citizens heard highlights of the proposed City budget for FY 2025.

• Staff reminded residents of upcoming city events, including the long-anticipated council member handbook workshop.

Bethany’s proposed FY 2025 budget public hearing

As the end of the fiscal year nears at the end of June, the time has come for cities across the metro to start cracking open their financial records and get proposed budgets in front of their council. 

Bethany’s proposed fiscal year (FY) budget for 2025 was presented to the council by Bethany Finance Director Michael Vaughn. 

He highlighted how some of the City’s recent decisions have affected next year’s budgeted revenue and expenses. 

For example, there is a large increase in the City’s budgeted Pulic Works revenue over last year’s budget -$10.5 to $14.4 million- as a result of the rate increases the city council passed last October. 

However, there are almost equally large increases in the Public Works budgeted expenses because of the debt payments for the water treatment plant improvements approved last month.

The total operating expenses for the Public Works Department jump from $9.1 million for the FY ‘24 budget to $12.5 million for FY ‘25.

For the capital improvement fund, Bethany hopes to qualify for $2 million in grants to fund sidewalks and roadway improvements in line with the City’s capital improvement plan.

Although the budget was discussed as a public hearing item, no Bethany citizens came to speak. 

Michael Vaughn hopes the budget will be adopted at the May 7th Council meeting. 

City of Bethany meetings, events 

The City of Bethany has several upcoming events residents of the metro area should look out for over the next couple of months. 

Here’s what’s happening in Bethany to close out the month of April:

• The City’s long-anticipated public discussion workshop has been scheduled for next Tuesday, April 23rd at 6:30 PM in the Council Chamber. The agenda for the special meeting mediated by the Oklahoma Municipal Assurance Group (OMAG) has been released and the City encourages all interested in the goals and direction of Bethany to attend. 

• Papa’s Leather Barn hosts “Ride to Remember” on April 20th.

• Putnam City’s Eldon Lyon Cancer Classic and Fun Run starts at 9:00 AM on April 20th. 

• Bethany Clean-Up Day is on April 20th, from 9:00 AM to Noon. Contact Amanda McCellon to participate. 

The City has a few more events to attend in May:

• City of Bethany Parks Committee Pets at the Park on May 4th, offering low-cost vaccinations, nail clipping, live music, prizes, and adoptions from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at Macrory Park. Contact COB Parks Committee for more details. 

• COB Parks Committee will host the Bethany Kites Festival on May 18th, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at Eldon Lyon with kites, bubbles, and snow cones. 

The next Bethany City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 7th at 6:30 PM.

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