Tulsa City Council Committee Debates Data Center Moratorium and Charter Amendments on March 25, 2026
Tulsa City Council Budget and Special Projects Committee Meeting Summary – March 25, 2026
The committee met on March 25, 2026, to debate a proposed moratorium on data center building permits and deliberate on five potential charter amendments. The data center moratorium dominated the conversation, covering its duration, exemptions, and environmental/economic impacts. The charter amendment discussion covered public safety officer pay, department head confirmations, oversight, and council compensation.
Discussion Items
1. Data Center Moratorium
The committee reviewed an ordinance establishing a moratorium on accepting and processing building permits for data centers.
Duration: The initial proposal was for a 365-day moratorium. Councilor Lakin argued this could negatively signal businesses and preferred a shorter period (e.g., 90 days) with extensions if needed. Councilor Hall Harper supported the full 365 days. A compromise was reached: the moratorium will be "up to" December 31st, 2026, with 60-day progress reports from the planning office to allow for an early conclusion if a zoning update is completed sooner.
Exemptions: The author proposed exempting Project Anthem Phase 2 (within the MPD-6 area) to respect its ongoing zoning process. Councilors Bangle and Lake supported this carve-out. Councilor Bangle described the project as a "measured risk" that gives the developer an opportunity to disprove negative theories about data centers.
Rationales and Concerns: Councilor Hall Harper expressed strong opposition to data centers, stating they are disproportionately located in Districts 3, 6, and north Tulsa and that 82% of data centers are built in rural, disenfranchised communities. She argued they are poor revenue generators and pose environmental justice risks. Councilor Wright criticized the "cheap land, cheap water" narrative, urging higher standards for development. Councilor Lakin requested data on franchise fees ($1-1.5 million per center) and property tax assessments to balance costs and benefits.
Outcome: The ordinance was amended to exempt Anthem Phase 2, sunset on December 31, 2026, and require 60-day council updates. A vote was expected that evening.
2. Selection of Charter Amendments
The council discussed five potential charter amendments for the ballot.
Longevity Pay (Police & Fire): Consensus to extend the cap from 20 to 30 years of service, remove the outdated $7.50 floor, and phase the cost over three fiscal years to mitigate the ~$1.25 million first-year impact.
Satisfactory Performance Increases (SPI) for Public Safety: Councilor Bush argued codifying step increases improves retention, noting the $6 million cost is less than the $10 million in overtime and recruitment costs ($150k-$175k per officer). Councilor Lakin expressed strong fiscal concerns, citing projections that public safety costs could consume 100% of sales tax revenue in 13 years under this model, and requested a detailed five-year financial analysis comparing potential cost savings before proceeding. This item was deferred.
Confirmation of Department and Division Heads: Broad support existed. Staff noted the Fire Chief is outside civil service and would require an explicit charter line.
Public Safety Review and Oversight Board: Councilor Hall Harper presented a charter amendment for an independent oversight board (drawing from OKC and Sand Springs models), noting a previous $500k budget allocation. An alternative civilian advisory commission via ordinance was also discussed.
Council Salary: Councilor proposed changing the salary adjustment index from CPI to AMI for greater local relevance.
Key Outcomes
- Data Center Moratorium: Amended to expire Dec 31, 2026, exempting Anthem Phase 2, with 60-day reports to the council.
- Longevity Pay: Consensus to draft for ballot with a 30-year cap and 3-year phase-in.
- SPI: Deferred pending a fiscal analysis of overtime versus retention savings.
- Department Head Confirmation: Consensus to draft, including an explicit line for the Fire Chief.
- Council Salary: Consensus to draft changing the index to AMI.
Meeting Transcript
All right. Welcome to the city council budget and special projects committee meeting. Uh today is Wednesday, March 25th. Item number one called to order. I call this meeting to order. Item number two ordinance declaring a 365-day moratorium on the acceptance of applications for processing and uh issuance of building permits that would allow construction on or a use of property for data centers uh use low located in the city, it's also provided uh for an exception and an appeal process providing effective and repeal dates. Can I just jump in with some sure? Um, you know, after getting, you know, we had a really rich discussion last time. Um, and so I wanted to kind of offer to like kind of one to maybe two modifications and get your all's feedback on it and hopefully go to a vote tonight since I think this is somewhat time sensitive. Um we're going to a vote tonight. But what I wanted to say up front since at the um end of our or in the middle of our last committee meeting uh mentioned about data centers and fear. To me, this is about being fact-based, not fear-based, and acknowledging that this is an industry that's all around us, it's here anyway. It's just about updating our zoning code. Um so what I would propose after you know, listening to a lot of folks' feedback, um, and also seeing that even if I don't quite agree with this approach, I think it's a compromise. Um, I think I'm gonna be adding in and I have an amended draft to exempt um phase two of Anthem as well, which defining that's a bit tricky because it's not kind of a firm concept, kind of the language I have here is that it shall not apply to an additional data center project, which it then says project anthem phase two located on 300 acres or less if it were appropriately zoned within the property that is subject to of NPD six approved as amended by the council on March 11th, 2026. I'll make sure you all get, of course, a copy of that. Um but that is all to say that this way, since that's still in the rezoning process, and I know that that's something Councillor Lake's voice was like, hey, this is still in a process. I know that some folks, like a lot of that company reached out or sat down with several of us, um, and maybe people are considering you know going and visiting a data center with the generator shut off in Dallas or what have you. Um, which you know, I don't want to discount doing that. That's just one company, and I know other ones may be trying to come in, and they all potentially are using different tech or it's shifting. So I do still think a pause is very important. I still think that phase two is not necessarily a given just because I know it's in the middle of a zoning process, but I'll respect that there's that civic process carrying out, which is why I put in an exemption for it as well within this. And then I also had asked Jack to add some updated language. Um, and I thought this was a good suggestion from um Councillor Bush and uh doing your something that counselor Hall Harper had brought up as an option since you're the moratorium expert around here. Um, which was right making it kind of an up to going, hey, that's this moratorium up to this many days unless we adjust, you know, we got recommendations and have voted on rezoning prior to that 365 days. So I will pause there, meaning that those two amendments um, which we absolutely of course open for discussion, um, are one again exempting that phase two as it's going through a rezoning process um and two the up to instead of just saying 365 days, just going, hey, let's allow for time for there to be that thoughtful investigation and study, and if there's a recommendation and um rezone that is forthcoming sooner than that, great, right? Um yeah, I'll I'll pause there with those two amendments. Okay. Um counselor RG? Just a quick clarification. Yes, and I appreciate you'll send us the revision. So you're saying the amended language would be data centers uh 300 acres or less would be allowed to move forward. It was just one, it's like one other one in addition to what's already happening, and it would be a moratorium on any other ones that come forward. Anything outside project. Basically, it's letting Project Anthem do its thing, acknowledging that I you know, it's not it's not my most preferred thing to do, but in acknowledgement of the different perspectives around the table that I know are present that were voiced last time, um, and that it's in the middle of a rezoning process. I just thought it made sense to let that sit and do its thing. But the way this is defined, and I'll make sure of course that everyone gets that language in Jack. Um we can also potentially show some of it on the screen in a minute. I don't you're getting access to it. Um, but it really is just making sure that that's carved out and that it's no other ones until we get our zoning code correct. Okay, so we can't get it up on the screen, but hopefully we can get it in backup before this evening, or we can talk about or bring it back at four o'clock. Okay, we can put it up, I think. I don't I don't have it on a way to put it up right in this minute. Oh, okay, I apologize. Okay. Sorry, this was some like things for everyone's patience, but yeah, it is on the plus side, the policy itself is relatively short, and the little amendment is just the language to make sure phase two is clear within it. So it's nothing very complex to take a look at prior to voting or anything like that. Okay. All right. Uh councillor, are you done?
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