Public Works Committee Meeting - April 1, 2026: Appointments, Hotel Tax, and Charter Amendments Discussed
Public Works Committee Meeting - April 1, 2026
The Tulsa City Council Public Works Committee met on April 1, 2026, to consider appointments to two commissions, discuss the proposed hotel guest tax (including feedback from a March 30 town hall and a shift to a November election timeline), and deliberate on possible charter amendments for future ballots. No formal votes were taken; appointments are scheduled for a vote on April 15, and further discussions on charter amendments will continue.
Consent Calendar
- No consent calendar items were noted.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No public comments from non-agenda participants were recorded; only the appointees and council members spoke.
Discussion Items
Appointments
-
Item 2 – Lacey Richards to Route 66 Commission: Lacey Richards, a local small business owner (co-owner of a brewery), introduced herself, emphasizing her advocacy for small businesses and community engagement. She expressed enthusiasm for serving on the commission to help market and support businesses along Route 66. Councilors Gilbert and Archie praised her experience. A vote is scheduled for April 15.
-
Item 3 – Obumakabum (Chair of Tulsa Arts Commission) Reappointment: The appointee, also chair of the commission, described her background in theater and youth arts training (including founding Black Broadway Tulsa). She highlighted goals of expanding access for artists, especially in performing arts, and preserving arts funding. Councilors expressed support. A vote is scheduled for April 15 (noted as "tax day").
Hotel Guest Tax Proposal (Item 5)
- Staff (Ms. Davis) summarized the March 30 town hall, noting questions about facility needs, fund uses, and potential exceptions. She recommended waiting a few weeks for completion of a convention feasibility study and financial modeling before finalizing the proposal. The timeline for a potential election is now November (instead of August) due to a crowded August ballot (gubernatorial runoff, special Senate election, state questions). Councilor Bellis explained that a November ballot would allow clearer voter education. Staff confirmed the new internal deadline is June for wrapping up the proposal to call a November election.
- Councilors discussed the need for aspirational uses of funds, and clarified that ballot language can be broad and uses can be changed after the election.
Charter Amendments (Item 4)
- The committee discussed five proposed charter amendments plus a humorous April Fools' proposal about shopping carts (which was not serious). The serious amendments include: longevity pay for public safety, a new section for SPI (presumably Specialized Police/Public Safety Incentive), council salary adjustments, creation of an Office of Independent Review, and appointment qualifications for directors and staff.
- Timeline debate: Councilors agreed that an August 2026 ballot is too crowded. Options considered were a November 2026 ballot or postponing to 2027 (which would require a special election costing $150,000–$200,000). Councilor Bush opposed 2027, preferring November. Councilor Archie emphasized the need for more public hearings if delayed. Councilor Bingle expressed concerns about fiscal impacts and readiness. Councilor Bellis noted that calling an election could be done in 2026 for a 2027 vote.
- Specific amendments:
- Councilor Archie requested more data on longevity pay costs and council salary numbers.
- Councilor Denton wanted more information on the Office of Independent Review (noting recent media coverage of a separate ordinance) and expressed concerns about politicization of appointments.
- Councilor Bingle opposed the independent review concept, arguing that existing oversight (mayor, public safety commissioner, police chief) is sufficient, and urged caution on the SPI amendment due to potential compounding fiscal burdens.
- Councilor Bush defended the appointment confirmation proposal, noting that similar processes already exist (city attorney, personnel director, judges) and that council interaction with department heads provides valuable constituent insight.
- Councilor Holler Harper clarified that the police chief is a civil service position (not at will), and that the independent review proposal is broader than police, covering all public safety (including fire, animal services, municipal court). She argued that demand for oversight will not disappear, citing high settlement costs and the need for risk mitigation.
- No decisions were made; the committee will continue discussions in coming weeks, with a possible vote on which amendments to send to the city attorney for drafting in late June/early July.
Key Outcomes
- No votes taken; all items remain pending.
- Appointments for Lacey Richards (Route 66 Commission) and Obumakabum (Tulsa Arts Commission) will be voted on at the April 15 council meeting.
- The hotel guest tax proposal is on track for a November 2026 election, with staff to bring back feasibility study and financial modeling results before finalization.
- Charter amendments will be deliberated further; councilors requested fiscal impact analyses for all proposals. The committee will explore whether to place some amendments on the November ballot alongside the hotel tax or to delay until 2027.
- A humorous April Fools' charter amendment regarding shopping carts was acknowledged but not seriously considered.
Meeting Transcript
To the 2 30 Wednesday, April 1st Public Works meeting. I'm Councillor Dr. Wright calling me into order. Item number two is Lacey Richards appointment to the Route 66 Commission replacing Amber Lit Whack. Term expires July 1st, 2028. Ms. Richards is from District 2. Right next to it. Chair Gilbert, if you want me to pass it right here. Welcome. Tell us a little bit about yourself and why you would like to serve in this capacity on the Route 66 Commission. Yeah, for sure. I'm a native Colson. Also Mary and a Broken Hair Boy. And we have uh lived here our whole lives on and operated a business or a couple businesses here in Tulsa. Um I have a background uh a master's degree from Northeastern State University. Um, but I think my real heart is in um advocacy for small business owners and other small businesses like me. Um we've grown our business from just a uh little Texaco at Sixton Rockford um and revitalize that little guy um into from about 1200 square feet to almost 10,000 square feet of production tap room. Um so we do a lot of marketing, we take care of a lot of customers in Tulsa, really transforms what people consider um just beer into a place that serves many people as a third space, what people are calling third space these days, um, and having a place for the community, and we do a lot of um oh community events, a lot of social outreach programs that come and visit us and use our venue as a home to operate and have meetings out of. And um as far as myself goes, um I have a background in counseling and therapy and um do a lot of marketing as well, and so I think I have a different kind of approach for other businesses and other people um who are also utilizing a community uh focused thing like Route 66. Okay, great. Um any specific ties to the route? None other than being in Tulsa, no. My grandparents are also from here, they're from Drumwright. Uh my dad's side is also from Tulsa. Um gosh, it's something not really, just me. Uh Counselor Gilbert and then Counselor Archie. Did you have to do that? Yeah, so Lacey, thank you for everything that you and your husband have done to uh bring up your your small business. You guys have done a phenomenal job, and I think that you would bring a lot of your expertise in that to the table of the commission and helping um other small businesses along Route 66 to um not just follow what you have done, but also I mean you're great with working with other uh businesses and uh just giving uh tips and everything uh to others and um uh I can't thank you enough for wanting to to serve on this and taking the time to do it. So I'm sure Amber did a wonderful job. I know Amber Litwack, she's wonderful, and so what a loss. But I would love to fill those big shoes. Yeah. Um and yeah, I I do have a heart for people who there's a lot of great people who go into business and small business, but they don't know how to market themselves, or maybe they don't know how to advocate for themselves or how to reach customers in different um groups. So yeah, so that that's what we're trying to do along the route is to build up those small businesses or even uh get more interest of small business owners to set up shop along the route. So um I'm super excited that you're willing to do this. So thank you. I appreciate that. Counselor Archie. Thank you. Lacey, good to see good to see you. We've probably known each other for it'll be 20 years coming up. I'll say that. But um you all look very good. Um you are smart. There's so much that you're gonna contribute to um to the commission, and so um I'm very grateful that you chose to to say yes to serving and um love it. So anything else, counselors? Well, Miss Richards, um, we will actually take up a vote on the 15th at 5 o'clock. You are welcome to be there if you'd like.
openpublica.com