Comanche County Still Without a Budget Three Months Into Fiscal Year: What Version 9 Means for Lawton

Comanche County commissioners are still searching for a fiscal year 2027 budget, and the calendar is not being kind. The fiscal year began July 1, which means the county is now three months in without an adopted spending plan. On Monday, commissioners voted 2-0-1 on budget version 8 and then tabled it, setting up a review of version 9 next week.

Version 8 cuts most county offices by 10% while increasing the sheriff’s budget by about $60,852, funded by a highway safety grant for drunk-driving overtime. Commissioners also voted to end HealthEquity Flex Spending administration and the MASA medical transport partnership, saving roughly $40,000. County Clerk Carrie Tubbs said the reductions fall almost entirely on salaries and benefits. District Attorney Kyle Cabelka cautioned that commissioners can only adopt a previous version unchanged, while Assessor-elect Brent Easton pushed for speed, noting a cut that could have been managed over 12 months must now be forced into the nine that remain.

For Lawton residents, the practical stakes are county services: hiring, technology, court operations, EMS support, and staffing residents rely on every week. Further delay could mean service reductions and crisis-mode decisions rather than planned ones. Commissioners meet again next week. What county service would you least want to see trimmed to close the gap?