By Conrad Dudderar
Staff Writer
Five new police vehicles, a dump truck, N.W. 10th Street upgrades, and Health Center Parkway drainage improvements headline $6-plus million in capital projects proposed in Yukon’s fiscal year 2023-24 budget.
The Yukon City Council, at its June 6 meeting, is expected to vote on the annual budget that would become effective July 1.
Council members, at a special budget meeting May 9, reviewed a list of sales tax-funded capital improvements presented by Assistant City Manager Mitchell Hort.
The 2023-24 budget document shows proposed sales tax revenues of $7,116,360 and proposed use tax revenues of $930,776 for the next fiscal year.
Proposed capital projects total $6,088,226 and cover 14 city of Yukon departments:
- Park Maintenance – $395,485
- Fire – $271,072
- Library – $49,400
- Administration – $60,000
- Parks & Recreation – $425,500
- Police – $725,345
- Property Maintenance – $60,100
- Fleet Maintenance – $28,000
- Streets – $3,171,734
- Public Works Administration – $200,000
- Technology – $298,220
- Emergency Management – $43,870
- Water & Sewer – $75,000
- Sanitation – $284,500
More than half the total amount has been earmarked for Yukon streets and equipment used to upgrade and maintain them.
CAPITAL PRIORITIES
Topping the list is a proposed agreement to make $1.8 million in improvements along 10th Street – Yukon’s south border with Oklahoma City which has seen traffic increase significantly in recent years.
The Street Department’s proposed capital budget includes $552,734 for the Health Center Parkway drainage, $300,000 for a dump truck, $200,000 for a wheel loader, $100,000 for street striping, and $100,000 for other various street improvements.
The Police Department’s proposed capital needs are headed by $485,000 for five equipped vehicles and $197,770 for new cameras and an access control system.
The Fire Department plans to use $217,872 of its capital budget for is fire pumper lease agreement.
Parks & Recreation’s capital budget features a projected $250,000 outlay for a new heating, venting and air conditioning system at the Dale Robertson Center.
Yukon Parks Maintenance included a $295,000 boom lift and Sanitation has a $150,000 semi-transfer truck in their budget requests.
Meanwhile, some $250,000 has been earmarked in the Public Works Administration capital budget for new office building.
Among many other proposed capital improvement projects as part of the City of Yukon’s FY 2023-24 budget are:
Tractor of Parks Maintenance ($55,000), Chevy Tahoe for Administration ($60,000), City Splash pool filter for Parks & Recreation ($80,000), truck with service bed for Property Maintenance ($55,000), crack sealer for Street ($65,000), new meter installs for Water & Sewer ($60,000) fiber installation ($106,000) and 10 police mobile laptops ($55,000) for Technology.
The Technology Department also plans to replace 45 desktop computers at an estimated cost of $50,500.
All amounts are subject to revision before the city of Yukon’s annual budget is formally adopted.
‘UNASSIGNED FUNDS’
Yukon City Manager Tammy Kretchmar provided council members with several options on how to spend another $2.5 million in “unassigned funds” in the annual budget.
Among possible capital projects and estimated costs are:
- Upgraded Vandament/Yukon Parkway intersection – $2.5 million
- Develop downtown park/amphitheater/playground at old lumberyard site – $3.83 million
- Install new turn lanes on Garth Brooks Boulevard from Vandament to Interstate 40 – $2.1 million
- Building renovations at Yukon Community Center and Yukon Fire Station #1 – $350,000
Yukon Mayor Shelli Selby hopes to see a family-oriented venue constructed on the former Yukon Lumberyard property near Fourth and Main. She pointed out this project could be done in phases.
The “Yard on 66” would be a destination for people traveling Route 66 through Yukon, Kretchmar added. The 100th anniversary of the Mother Road will be celebrated in 2026.
If Yukon city officials use American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for the Health Center Parkway drainage project, Kretchmar said that $552,734 could be transferred to use for building renovations.
