County leaders say the spending plan provides stable funding for the detention center while officials continue searching for at least $835 million needed to complete the new jail complex.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma County officials have approved a $163.3 million budget for fiscal year 2026-27, including what county leaders described as the first fully funded jail budget since the Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Authority assumed operations in 2020.
The County Budget Board approved the spending plan Thursday following a brief public hearing that drew no public comment.
The budget allocates approximately $42.5 million to the Criminal Justice Authority, which oversees the Oklahoma County Detention Center, and sets aside about $17.5 million in reserves.
County Assessor Larry Stein said county officials were able to meet the needs of all departments while also fully funding jail operations.
“We funded the jail. We funded it for this year, and we funded it for next year,” Stein said.
The jail’s finances have been a recurring challenge in recent years. County officials earlier approved a $4.6 million infusion to help the detention center finish the current fiscal year after studies found the jail had been chronically underfunded since the trust assumed control in 2020.
The budget includes approximately $21.1 million for the Sheriff’s Office and $12.6 million for the Court Clerk’s Office, making them the county’s two largest operational expenses after general government functions.
The budgeting process was aided by county officials’ discovery earlier this year of approximately $14 million in previously unaccounted-for funds that had not been included because of an accounting error.
County leaders continue to face a much larger challenge: financing completion of the new jail and behavioral health complex under construction at 1901 E. Grand Blvd. County Commissioner Brian Maughan has said the project faces a funding gap of at least $835 million and likely will require a countywide sales tax proposal.
This story includes information first reported by The Oklahoman.
