Oak Ridge budget gets final approval

July 30, 2025 by Ben Pounds

The Oak Ridge City Council has approved its amended budget, including changes to the school system’s funding.

The unanimous vote to amend the school portion came Tuesday, June 17, following a recommendation from the Oak Ridge Board of Education.

Like other cities, Oak Ridge had to wait for the state of Tennessee to confirm the certified tax rate.

Before the amendment, the council approved the budget on second reading at its June 9 meeting.

That budget allocated $40,750,064 to the general fund for municipal operations, $12,957,197 to debt service, $6,260,000 to the state street aid fund, $255,200 to the drug enforcement program fund, $91,584,815 to the general-purpose school fund, $14,165,505 to the capital projects fund and $2,980,917 to the solid waste fund.

It also projected $63,270,758 in spending for the electric fund, $23,810,873 for the waterworks fund and $941,820 for the emergency communications district fund.

That budget passed unanimously, although City Council member Sean Gleason was absent for the vote.

The amendment increased the total school budget to $85,149,926. Of that, $76,341,169 will go to the general fund, $4,817,440 to the federal projects fund, $3,326,290 to the central cafeteria fund, $159,434 to the special revenue fund and $505,592 to the extended school program.

In a memo, Board of Education Chairwoman Laura McLean and Superintendent Bruce Borchers said the amended budget includes state funding for summer learning camps, unanticipated capital-improvement needs, increased revenue from interest, Federal Emergency Management Agency funds, and required payments for the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement program that were unknown when the original budget passed.

It also reflects changes to the central cafeteria and extended school program funds for purchase orders carried over from the previous year.

Because the amendment involves additional state and federal funding sources, it does not affect the amount the City Council provides to the school system or the local tax rate.