Oklahoma County officials respond after finding $14 million amid bookkeeping error (KOKH)
OKLAHOMA CITY, (KOKH) —Questions are being raised after Oklahoma County officials discovered $14 million that was not included in the county’s fiscal year 2026 budget.
The money came to light last week during a special meeting of the Oklahoma County Budget Evaluation Team (BET), when members learned about a $14 million fund that had not been used in the FY 2026 budget.
Oklahoma County Clerk Maressa Treat said the issue stemmed from a bookkeeping mistake.
“A human error. That is what it simply comes down to,” Treat said.
“There was $30 million. Our team grabbed the $16 million number and put that into the report. So therefore, when we went to do our final budget in September, everything totaled out because there was a number in the cell that it was supposed to be in. It just was the incorrect number,” Treat said.
Treat said she knew about the problem in October but still closed out the budget.
“There was a lot going on and so the decision that I made was we have, using my logic, was that we have already closed out the September budget. It is difficult to bring back an entire budget process,” Treat said.
She also said the county didn’t even need it, “We don’t need the 14 million dollars right now, it’s not necessary to go back and open up the budget because we technically don’t need this money for FY 26.”
Treat acknowledged that the issue should have been raised earlier. “It was not pointed out in the October budget board meeting, and it absolutely should have been. I 100% own that we should have made those comments and that budget board meeting,” Treat said.
“I want to look at each one of you and say I am sorry for not doing that, for not having it brought up in that meeting,” she said.
FOX 25 asked Court Clerk Rick Warre about Treat’s responsibility, “I think she made a mistake. She owned that mistake. I don’t think she’ll ever do it again.”
Warren also addressed how decisions are made in the county’s budget process, saying, “We’re a budget board county. I don’t make a decision by myself for this county. I meet with everyone. We talk about it and then we vote.”
Warren said the board faces several challenges moving forward and needs to focus on what is best for taxpayers, adding, “We’re trying to build things that we did not ask the taxpayers about. We promised the taxpayers we would build them a 2,400-bed jail for $260 million. We changed the numbers. Once again, as I said earlier, if you move the line, there is no line. So once we change those numbers, we should have went back to the taxpayers. We should have gave them their $260 million, whatever we had left, back to the taxpayers. We should have stopped. They don’t say it. When you’re digging a hole and you can’t climb out, put the shovel down. We should have put the shovel down.”
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