W. Schad Meldrum, the capital city’s IT director, retired from the Information Technology Department May 8, its public information office confirmed. Meldrum oversaw a $55.8 million budget and a staff of 130 at the nation’s 20th largest city, home to more than 710,000 residents.
A permanent IT director is expected to be chosen this summer, and leaders have conducted the first round of interviews, Kristy Yager, public information and marketing director, said via email. Dusty Borchardt is now serving as interim IT director, she confirmed.
Borchardt has been with Oklahoma City IT since June 2019, when he joined the city as a business systems manager according to LinkedIn. He served as chief technology officer from August to October 2024 according to the website, and as deputy CIO since October. The IT department’s functions include technology application support, technology enhancement and technology infrastructure, public safety support and customer service.
According to the city’s proposed 2026 fiscal year budget, which is expected to be adopted June 3, top IT priorities are system security and data integrity, meeting the growing demand for technology, and maintaining a tech workforce with advanced skills. Department leaders are facing reduction requests due to “sluggish revenue growth,” City Manager Craig Freeman said in a message to the mayor and City Council accompanying the proposed budget, indicating many propose targeting vacant positions.
ITD proposes adjusting some “line-item budgets” for training, licensing and system maintenance, while maintaining a 130 staff count from the previous fiscal year. Its proposed budget of $52.8 million would represent a nearly 5.5 percent decrease, both numbers rounded, from FY 2025.
