Mayor presents proposed FY22 City of Tulsa budget

(TULSA, Okla.) Mayor G.T. Bynum presented the proposed Fiscal Year 2021 - 2022 budget to the Tulsa City Council Wednesday evening with a total proposed budget of $ $799.4 million, which includes all city funds, operations and capital funding from Improve Our Tulsa and Vision Tulsa. The general fund, which funds most core services and operations, is projected to have $262.9 million in revenue.

Mayor Bynum’s budget speech and the proposed FY22 budget can be found online here: https://www.cityoftulsa.org/government/departments/finance/financial-reports/city-budget/ 

Budget highlights:

1921 Graves Investigation – Continues the excavation and geophysical work for the 1921 Graves Investigation.

Community Response Team (CRT)– Expands the CRT from three days a week to five days a week to address mental health calls made to Tulsa’s 911 system. As a rapid response team, the agencies work together to create more efficiency in operations and treatment while also de-escalating situations with individuals in mental health crisis, helping avoid costly stays in jail, hospital emergency rooms, and inpatient behavioral health hospital units.

Compensation Adjustments – Salary performance increases for eligible employees’ subject to collective bargaining units.

Mowing Cycles – Keeps the City of Tulsa full eight mowing cycles in place.

Municipal Court – Creates a Municipal Courts Liaison to help citizens navigate the courts process and funds a text messaging system for court reminders. 

Neighborhood Street Lighting – Continues to fund backlog of 500+ neighborhood street lights to improve safety in Tulsa communities. (More than 112 lights were restored last year alone.)

Public Safety Academies – Funds two police academies and one fire academy to keep up with attrition, with plans to fund additional police academies in FY23.

Rainy Day Fund – Estimates $7.3 million in the Rainy Day Fund by the end of the fiscal year, due to a dedicated portion of the sales tax.

Tulsa Parks Department – Funds the opening of City pools, splash pads and day camps. Tulsa Parks will also expand day camps to the Jane Malone Community Center and Central Center. 

Utility Rates – The water and refuse rates will remain flat and sewer and stormwater rates are set to increase by 3 percent, instead of the original 7 percent increase originally planned.

Capital Budget Highlights

Animal Shelter – Provides funding for the construction of an expanded animal shelter.

Gilcrease Museum – Funds the construction of a new structure for the museum that can better protect the $2 billion collection and deliver a 21st century visitor experience to Gilcrease visitors that will begin in early 2022. Construction is expected to take 2-3 years.

Greenwood Cultural Center – Funds the design for a complete remodel of the existing facility, including the Main Atrium, the Goodwin Chapelle Gallery, the Opal Dargan Auditorium, various classrooms, office spaces, restrooms and kitchen improvements. Also includes general maintenance, painting, and fixture replacements will be done inside the Mabel B. Little House.

Police Records Management System – Brings the Tulsa Police Department new records management system online, which is the first wholesale update of the records management system since the mid-1970s. The new system will dramatically improve the flow of information, from 911 to officers in the field to judges in our municipal court. 

Water and Sewer System Projects – Funds $18 million in water system capital projects and $35 million in sanitary sewer system capital projects.

The Tulsa City Council will review and discuss the Mayor’s proposed budget and must approve a budget for the upcoming fiscal year at least seven days prior to June 30, the end of the City’s fiscal year. After the budget has been approved, Fiscal Year 21 -22 will begin July 1.