Lawton City Council amends city budget

The Lawton City Council on Wednesday amended the 2023-2024 budget by adding $10,354,329.94.

Those funds reflect decisions the council already has made on major projects to be done this fiscal year, but not included when the budget was finalized in Spring 2023. The resolution amends the budget by $2.94 million for “operation of the water system that provided a benefit to the Lawton Recreational Facilities” at School House Slough and by $7,414,329.94 for infrastructure construction in west Lawton’s industrial area.

Those infrastructure improvements are water and sewer upgrades the City of Lawton agreed to cover for the cobalt/nickel pilot plant that Westwin Elements plans to build at Southwest 112th Street and Bishop Road. The pilot plant is a scaled-down version of a refinery that Westwin has indicated would be built — potentially in Lawton — based on data provided to bankers and investors from the pilot plant.

Finance Director Joe Don Dunham said the industrial funding will be taken from Lawton’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding, explaining that funding source had been approved by the City Council but never officially designated in the budget. Mayor Stan Booker and City Manager John Ratliff asked whether the Westwin pilot plant was an approved project for ARPA (expenditures must fall within federal guidelines or the city risks having to repay the funds).

Dunham said the city’s bond counsel indicated the the infrastructure work was a “cleaner” funding decision because infrastructure is one of four categories in ARPA regulations.

“It’s more defendable,” said Public Utilities Director Rusty Whisenhunt about the ARPA spending plans, adding the funds will cover the cost of a contractor hired to install 7,500 feet of 20-inch water main, the materials, related permits and design plans for Phase II of Westwin-related infrastructure upgrades.