Oklahoma County Detention Center presents shortfall, asks county for roughly $8.7 million more

A detention-center representative told the Budget Evaluation Team on April 9 that the Oklahoma County Detention Center faces a structural funding gap created by rising operating costs and the absence of one-time carryover funds the facility used last year.

"In FY25, the total expenditures to operate the Oklahoma County Detention Center was $43.2 million. However, we received only $33.7 million in general fund appropriations," the jail presenter said, adding that FY25 shortfalls were bridged with FY24 carryover, ARPA reimbursements and other one-time funds. After accounting for rising operating costs, the presenter said the FY26 structural deficit grew to approximately $5.8 million and the FY27 estimate of needs submitted to the county totals about $48.7 million.

Members pressed the presenter on the annualized cost of raises, contract savings and whether prior one-time revenues had been used to pay recurring items. A committee member accused the jail trust of operating without an adopted budget and of having spent beyond revenues; the presenter said some decisions on raises and contracts were made by the trust and jail administration, and that staff would provide more precise annualized figures for the raises and other line items on follow-up spreadsheets.

The presenters said several adjustments had been made to reduce contracted staffing costs (citing renegotiations with vendor VHS) and outlined a staffing plan that would increase detention officer headcount if funding is approved. During questioning, presenters said they would seek to replace higher-cost contracted bodies with full-time detention officers where feasible, while acknowledging that some vendor services perform duties not covered by sworn officers.

What the county asked: The presenter said the FY27 request represents roughly $42.465 million in total needs and that, compared with the about $33.7 million county appropriation this year, the county would be asked to provide an additional figure that staff calculated as approximately $8.7 million (the arithmetic difference between requested county support and this year's appropriation, as explained during the hearing). Jail staff committed to provide the committee with detailed worksheets, monthly revenue projections and reconciliations that the board requested.

What happens next: Committee members asked for itemized backup, the annualized cost of raises and reconciled staffing tables. Staff said they will deliver the supporting spreadsheets and meet with finance staff to reconcile the numbers before the board finalizes FY27 recommendations.