Vision TULSA - The Tulsa City Council

By Megan McCann Tulsa City Councilcity governmentThe City of Tulsa was established in 1898while Oklahoma was still Indian Territory. AfterOklahoma became the 46th state in 1907,Tulsa adopted its first city charter in July 1908,which was approved by Oklahoma GovernorCharles Haskell on January 5, 1909.For nearly 80 years, Tulsa was governed by aboard of commissioners, which included a mayorand four commissioners: police and fire, streetsand public property, waterworks and sewerage,and finance and revenue. In 1990, Tulsans votedto change to a mayor-council form of governmentin an effort to create more effective leadership.Today, the municipal government consistsof three branches: the mayor, the city council,and the city auditor.The Mayor of Tulsa serves a four-year termand fulfills the administrative and executiveduties of city government. The mayor’sresponsibilities include submitting an annualbudget to the city council, as well as supervisingCity of Tulsa employees. The mayor is alsoresponsible for appointing citizens to the variousauthorities, boards, and commissions.The nine members of the Tulsa City Councilserve as the legislative branch of Tulsa’sgovernment. The current councilors were electedfor staggered terms by districts, which wereadjusted last year to reflect the population trendsrevealed by the 2010 census. In November2011, Tulsans voted to change election cyclesfor councilors to two-year terms aligned withstate and federal elections. This change will takeeffect in 2014. The council is responsible forpassing local laws and establishing city policy.They also review and approve the annual citybudget of more than $500 million. Councilorsreview and take action on mayoral appointeesto authorities, boards, and commissions.The city council meets Thursday afternoons forcommittee meetings on the fourth floor of CityHall and holds regular meetings on Thursdays at 6p.m. on the second floor of City Hall. The councilencourages the public to attend and provideinput at the Thursday night council meetings. Allcouncil meetings are broadcast live and replayedon TGOV, Tulsa’s government access channel.TGOV can be viewed on Cox Cable channel 24or live streaming or on-demand at tgovonline.org. Agendas and back-up materials are alsoavailable online at tulsacouncil.org or at the citycouncil office on the fourth floor of City Hall.Tulsa’s city auditor serves a two-year term afterbeing elected into office. The city auditor andthe internal auditing staff periodically audit allcity departments and use their findings to makesuggestions to the mayor and the council on howto better maintain financial records and reportirregular financial activity within city departments.Dozens of boards, commissions, and authoritiesalso play a role in the daily operation of Tulsa’sgovernment. Citizen volunteers provide valuableinput to the mayor and councilors who use thatinformation to create policies and programs.There are a variety of different boards, whichserve many different interests. Citizens canfind out more about available positions andapply online on the City of Tulsa website.The mayor’s, the city auditor’s, and the citycouncil offices can be found at City Hall/OTCbuilding, 175 East 2nd Street in downtown Tulsa.The mayor and mayoral staff are located on the15th floor of the OTC building and can be reachedat 918-596-7411. The city auditor’s office islocated on the 6th floor of the OTC buildingand can be reached at 918-596-7511. The citycouncil office is on the 4th floor of OTC, andcan be reached at 918-596-1990. Parking isconveniently located in the lot south of City Hall.More information can be found on the Cityof Tulsa website, cityoftulsa.org, or on thecity council website, tulsacouncil.org.76 VISION TULSA 2012 | t u l s a c o u n c i l . o r g