All right, good evening, and welcome to the 5 p.m.

Tulsa City Council meeting.

You can view this meeting on our Facebook page or YouTube channel, COTS Channel 24 or at Tgovonine.org.

Assisting the council tonight are Jack Blair, City Attorney, Lori Doring, our Secretary to the Council, and Beth Tankard from the Council staff.

If you wish to speak on an agenda item, please see Beth to complete a request to speak card prior to that item being read.

You will not be allowed to speak on any item that has already been read.

Please join us in pledging allegiance to the flag of our country and remain standing for a moment of silence.

Something must be going on tonight.

That's what it is, Mario.

So good evening, everybody.

Thank you for being here.

So this proclamation is uh American Legion Family Day.

Uh and the proclamation reads as such.

Whereas since 1919, the American Legion has had the noble mission of serving and advocating for veterans and their families across the country, including the many citizens of Tulsa, and whereas the local Legion Posts, American Legion Post One, Post 308, and Post 1776, uh have a long and proud history of service to the nation, state of Oklahoma, and the city of Tulsa through programs supporting veterans, youth, and civic engagement, and whereas the City of Tulsa honors the service and sacrifice of the men and women who have worn the uniform of the United States Armed Forces and recognizes the continued contributions of veterans and their families to our community, and whereas the American Legion has designated the last Saturday in April as American Legion Family Day.

And this year it also observes the celebration of the 250th birthday of the United States.

The BFW is specifically for uh combat service overseas and the American Legion.

You only have to serve one day of active duty service to be eligible to be a member.

Um it was formed in 1919 and was brought up in concept, if I remember correctly, by Teddy Roosevelt Jr.

right after World War One.

Um so thank you for your service.

And I think post one is the longest continually active post in the United States.

Possibly in the world, possibly in the world, yes.

So thank you for your service and thank you for your work to the community.

So we're gonna come down here and take a photo come on up we'll see.

All right, everyone must be on down to the way.

Oh wow.

She cannot see you.

Oh, they left.

All right, one, two, one, all right, got it.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Councilman.

Thank you.

Thank you.

What I did see you down there.

It's good to see you.

All right, here we go.

People wishing to speak on an agenda items are limited to five minutes total per meeting.

Public input is a time for members of the public to provide insight on the agenda item due to the meeting format.

Public input is not a time for a question and answer period.

All comments should be relevant to the agenda item and directed to the council.

We are using a an electronic timing system in front of the speakers at the microphone.

There is a timer that will count down the time used.

A green light means you can go, will indicate your time is running.

Yellow light cautions you to that you have 30 seconds remaining and your allotted time and a blinking red light will be shown when your time has concluded.

Uh we ask that you stay within your time limit so everyone wishing to speak is given equal time.

Please keep the podium area railings and aisles free from recording devices and tripods, recording equipment and accessories, including tripods, must be set up in the media center.

Good job, guys.

Thank you very much.

Tonight did a good job.

Um, as posted on tonight's agenda, certain items are subject to consideration and possible approval, adoption, denial, amendment, or revision.

Um I call this meeting to order.

Please call the roll.

Counselor Hill Harper.

Here.

Counselor here.

Counselor Dutton.

Here.

Council Bellis.

Here.

Counselor Gilbert.

Here.

Counselor Bengal.

Here.

Counselor Director A.

Here.

Council Lacon.

Yes.

Here.

Council Bush.

Here.

All right.

Um item one receipt and filing of minutes.

One A, minutes of special meeting held at 6 p.m.

on March 30th, 2026.

B minutes of regular meeting held at 4 p.m.

on April 1st, 2026.

C minutes of regular meeting held at 5 p.m.

on April 1st.

Do we have any speakers?

There are no speakers.

Is there a council discussion?

Move to approve items 1A through C.

Second.

Please call the roll.

Counselor Laken.

Yes.

Counselor Bush.

Yes.

Counselor Holly Harper.

Yes.

Counselor RC.

Yes.

Counselor Dutton.

Yes.

Counselor Bellis.

Yes.

Counselor Gilbert.

Yes.

Counselor Bengal.

Yes.

Counselor Dr.

Wright?

Yes.

All right.

Items 1A through 1C are approved.

Two appointments.

We have no items this week.

Three public hearings, no items this week.

Four mayor's items.

Four A report from the mayor or his designee on community events briefing on city activities, city efforts, and new business.

Mayor, would you like to say anything before the next item?

I think we can go on the B.

Okay.

Yeah.

All right.

Uh 4B, Mayor's presentation of the City of Tulsa fiscal year 2026-2027 budget and capital plan.

Uh note per council rules and order of business.

Public comment will not be taken on this item.

Public input will be heard at future public hearings.

I will turn it over to you, Mayor.

Thank you for joining us tonight.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Councillor Chair Gilbert, Vice Chair Bingle, to all the members here, really appreciate you letting me sit up here this evening.

This is a lot of fun for me, actually.

Um, and everybody who's here, thank you for being here.

I also want to wish uh those uh who are out there who serve us as administrative professionals happy administrative professional day.

And I imagine everybody here did something special.

Every day.

Yeah, there you go, there you go, every day.

Um I say that as someone who needs to look in the mirror and figure out what I'm gonna do before the day is over.

Um but before I get started, I want to start by acknowledging the many people who help uh put this budget together and make it possible.

Uh, this is you know is a collective effort.

It reflects months of disciplined work and thoughtful collaboration.

And so I want to start by extending my appreciation to our budget and finance team, Chrissy Basgale and Jared Moore.

I don't know if they're both are here.

I'm sure they are.

Thank you, very thank you.

Two of you.

Thank you both for your leadership and attention to detail throughout this process.

I also want to thank our city administrator Mike Miller for setting guidance and commitment to fiscal responsibility.

And to our department heads and their team, several of them are here.

Thank each of you for your diligence in submitting thoughtful requests this year, helping us identify efficiencies and continuing to deliver high quality services to our residents every single day.

Give yourselves a round of applause.

So it is because of great planning and fiscal discipline that the city of Tulsa is in a stronger, even more stable position than we were in this time last year.

We certainly benefited from some good signs and positive signs from uh sales and use tax numbers this fiscal year, but the key has been our discipline given the uncertainty in the overall economic outlook.

While things are better than they were, we remain disciplined in how we manage our resources, and remaining discipline means identifying cost-saving opportunities and maintaining a commitment to a high degree of scrutiny for every dollar we spend, ensuring that our investments reflect our collective priorities and accountability to our residents.

The theme for this year's budget is the same as last year's budget, and really the theme of the administration is clarity, consistency, and accountability.

The proposed budget that you have before you tonight represents 1.22 billion dollars in total expenditures for FY27.

That number is inclusive of our general capital and enterprise funds.

But the general fund total for this budget this year is just under 444 million dollars.

This budget is designed to provide clarity by investing strategically in the priorities we all share, maintain consistency by building on current service levels, honoring commitments to our employees, and addressing infrastructure needs and project shortfalls.

It was also designed to demonstrate accountability by reducing our reliance on fund balance by 5.1 million dollars over the current fiscal year, which is helping bringing us closer in line for our revenues and our expenses.

As part of the budget before you tonight, we also uh are presenting a proposal that in addition to fiscal responsibility reflect strategic thinking.

Over the past 12 months, we've taken a comprehensive look at all available funding sources to determine how we can best meet Tulsa's future and current needs.

In addition to identifying vacancies and scrutinizing every dollar spent, we've also vetted the use of the 2016 vision fund.

This fund, as you all know, has outperformed its original projections, and after every project is uh paid for, debt services paid, everything's fully funded.

The fund would have a balance of about a little over 100 million dollars in 2032.

Now, instead of letting those resources sit, this budget should strategically invest a portion of that money into things that matter, putting those funds to work now for the Tulsa taxpayer, investing in things like ongoing and competitive employee compensation adjustments, addressing funding gaps on critical capital projects, including the Public Safety Center, continuing the progress of Safe Move Tulsa and our homelessness efforts, providing localized neighborhood needs, and investing in upcoming economic development opportunities across our city.

While these funding priorities will ultimately be shaped by your input and your guidance, our shared priorities in them is clear.

We all want to improve public safety.

We all want to end homelessness as we know it, and we all want to improve economic opportunity for our residents.

Now, some might suggest that this year's budget is proof that we don't need a longer term revenue solution, and that notion couldn't be any further from the truth.

What you have in front of you is a budget built on freezing 45 vacant positions, the infusion of nearly 40 million dollars from the Vision 2016 fund, and an administrative focus on conservative spending.

Be clear, we still have critical needs that require a long-term solution.

The use of the Vision 2016 funds, again, 40 million dollars in this budget, should be viewed as one time ARPA like a one-time ARPA like short-term funding strategy that will act as a bridge to get us further down the road on key priorities.

When it comes to key priorities and the core functions of government, public safety is at the top of the list.

I want to start by expressing my appreciation to our public safety commissioner Laurel Roberts for her leadership and leading the way to helping us achieve our goal in becoming America's safest big city.

Her work oversee absolutely her work overseeing the police and fire departments, Tulsa Municipal Court, Tulsa Animal Services, and serving as our interim emergency management director has been a game changer for our community, and that is reflected in the investments we propose to make into public safety.

57% of the general fund is dedicated to public safety functions.

That includes funding for two police academies, adding 55 new officers, the funding for two non-sworn positions in the police department to process digital evidence and police records to address the increased demand in that area, a fire academy of 22 cadets to maintain full staffing, and $7 million in funding for fire apparatus and equipment.

This budget also invests the $25 million needed to fully fund the move to the public safety center and sets aside an additional $18.9 million to support the ongoing effort to secure long-term space for municipal courts and our lockup facility.

The shakeup and leadership at the Tulsa Area Emergency Management Agency last year gave us an opportunity to pause and take a closer look at how other major cities structure their emergency management operations.

In Tulsa, TAM has existed since the 1970s as a blended city-county funded agency with the City of Tulsa serving as a primary responding entity during activations.

The model has served us for many years and served us well at times, but is no longer the desire of the city or the county.

This comes as Tulsa as we know Tulsa's been faced with one major disaster every year for the last decade.

This comes along with the daily tasks of incident response.

As mayor and I know as counselors, we are all proud of how our team has worked in these in the face of these disasters because they are not rare, they're not one-off events, they're reoccurring, incredibly destructive disruptive, and increasingly complex to navigate as a city.

It is critically important that Tulsa has a team whose sole responsibility is to plan for, respond to, and recover from emergencies within our city limits.

An office that is fully embedded in city operations, aligned with our police, fire, public works, and communications teams, and focus every single day on preparedness and resilience.

That is why the budget before you today reflects that reality and includes funding for three positions: a director for emergency management, a grants compliance officer, and an administrative aid for the department, along with the technology needed to promptly and efficiently respond to emergencies, such as our siren system and communications tools.

Let me be clear, our internal team will continue to partner alongside Tulsa County as we work hand in hand to keep our community safe.

In addition to police, fire and emergency management, Tulsa Animal Services, and Tulsa Municipal Court are critical parts of our overall public safety strategy.

Last year, Tulsa Municipal Court saw 10% increase in the number of people showing up for their court dates.

This is an incredible testament to the team at Tulsa Municipal Court, and without that team, this work would not be possible.

So the proposal before you today would move 10 temporary grant funded positions permanently into the general fund to help us continue momentum at the courthouse.

Additionally, this budget supports our move to the new animal shelter by providing a boost in staffing at Tulsa Animal Services, including two new animal control officers, a new veterinarian, and six other positions to support operations at the facility.

These positions will improve the lives of animals, improve neighborhoods, help improve response times, decrease loose animals, and improve public education around the importance of spay and neutering our pets.

At the end of the day, we are committed to ensuring that every Tulson feels safe in their home, their neighborhood, and in all parts of our city, and the work that we're doing in public safety across the board does just that.

As many of you know, we have for years struggled with the growing backlog of code enforcement cases.

Today, there are roughly 1,600 cases waiting in the queue.

And during the peak growing season, that number can climb to more than 3,500 complaints.

For many residents, issues like tall grass and basic property maintenance has meant waiting 90 days or more just to see action.

We all agree that's unacceptable and it's not the level of service our residents deserve.

Our current situation is not a new problem.

It is in fact been one that's been raised for years and certainly a point of emphasis at the Council May Council Mayor retreat.

This budget finally puts the resources in place to address the problem at its root by including four new positions and five hundred and fifty thousand dollars in additional operating support dedicated to code enforcement.

That means more code officers in the field, faster response times, and a shift from a reactive system to a proactive system.

With this investment, we will cut response times to less than 30 days, no matter the priority level, and eliminate the current backlog of code enforcement complaints.

That represents a fundamental change in how the city delivers basic services.

It means when residents call, we show up.

It means neighborhoods don't have to wait months for action, and it means we are finally bringing this system back in line with the expectations of the people we serve.

It's because this administration, and I think we all believes everything starts in neighborhoods, and this budget reflects extensive feedback from residents and builds on the work of our planning and neighborhoods department with the neighborhood conditions index.

I want to give a special shout out to Susan Mill and her team, Susan Susan here.

Oh, she's right in front of me.

Give a special shout out, shout out to Susan.

Big graduation coming up.

Or is it graduation or neighborhood academy?

A couple more months.

They have they promised a 90% graduation rate, so we're gonna see what happens.

Um but I want to give a shout out to Susan and her team for their work as the NCI continues to engage citizens, invest in solutions, and help us track needs and be responsive to what we hear.

Being responsive means addressing persistent concerns.

For years, lighting in neighborhoods has been one of those concerns.

That's because we know lighting improves walkability, improves quality of life, and most importantly, it improves safety.

Based on the recommendations from NCI and recent improve our Tulsa workshops, this budget includes funding for four new neighborhood areas that will receive a total of 1,200 new lights.

These neighborhoods include the Sequoia, Suburban Hills, and Charles Page neighborhoods, as well as the Riverwood neighborhood at 61st and Peoria.

Oh, real.

Tulson's in this area and their counselor.

Um have been asking for a long time for increased public safety infrastructure, and we're happy to report that this proposal would add 630 new lights between 51st and 71st streets along Peoria.

This will be a big investment for Tulsa neighborhoods and a critical component to improving neighborhood conditions across the city.

Improving Tulsa means continuing our aggressive focus on addressing homelessness.

Over the past eight months, we've witnessed the success of Safe Move Tulsa, our effort to eliminate street sleeping on our pathway to functional zero homelessness by 2030.

Safe Move Tulsa is a new way of doing things through a strategy spearheaded by the city and a network of partners and business leaders to drive real results.

Since November, we've housed nearly 120 people, close five encampments, six if you include downtown, and every day since we've worked to ensure that those encampments do not return.

At the same time, we're working to and we're working to ensure our efforts include other supports, including rapid exits for those who need a quick resolution to homelessness.

It is our hope that we can house more than a thousand people by the end of the year through this strategy.

But as many of you know, this work requires investment.

The best experts in the field and our partners have all made that clear.

We will not reach our goal without significant without a significant financial commitment from the city.

And so the budget proposal before you today is reflective of a significant commitment.

In FY27, we propose spending $6.5 million as part of a $23.5 million overall commitment to homelessness from the Vision 2016 Fund.

These resources ensure there will be no gaps in service delivery at least for the next couple years as we work for longer-term funding solutions.

This level of investment is large is the largest the city has ever committed into a strategy directly focused on getting unhoused folks off the streets.

In addition to addressing our challenges, this budget also is designed to grow our economy from the bottom up.

When it comes to transforming communities and creating more opportunities opportunities for our residents, we must be we must invest in the people and places we rely on.

This includes continued investment designed to support job growth, attract new businesses, with the proposed investment from the Vision 2016 Fund.

This budget will infuse resources to make quality of life improvements in the amount of $18.5 million to create stronger economic and neighborhood conditions across the city.

We do that knowing that economic growth is not possible without great infrastructure.

This proposal reflects necessary adjustments to utility rates based on the five-year capital improvement plan and updated contract negotiations with our haulers.

I know that an increase in monthly bills is never something that's easy to hear, especially as affordability continues to be a challenge for residents across our city.

However, these of these adjustments aren't about making a profit.

They're about the urgent reality of maintaining the invisible systems that we all rely on.

Our water lines, sewer plants, and drainage systems, the things that allow our city to actually function.

We've seen what happens when you don't prioritize this type of infrastructure in places like Flint, Michigan, Jackson, Mississippi, but unlike those places, we have a bold vision for Tulsa.

Through various capital programs, we have committed hundreds of millions of dollars to address these needs because we know we cannot build Tulsa's future on top of 19th century infrastructure.

By making these modest annual investments, we keep pace with our city's growth, stay on top of inflation, and prevent the massive emergency failures that would cost us so much more in the long run.

In this year's budget, the typical residential customer can expect to see an increase of five dollars and eighty-two cents a month.

These changes reflect a seven percent increase for water, a 4.7 increase for sewer, a 7% increase for stormwater, and a 4% increase for refuge and recycling.

These adjustments are based on professional, multi-year modeling and have been approved by the Tulsa Metropolitan Utility Authority and the Tulsa Authority for the Recovery of Energy.

These investments are critical and they will have a huge impact, not just on us currently, but on future generations as well.

And as we think about future generations, I am mindful of the commitment that we must continue to hold for young people in this community.

If you were to ask the average citizen what are their top issues of concern, they would list off public safety, homelessness, infrastructure, and education.

That's why, with the partnership of this council, last year we created Tulsa's first Office of Children, Youth and Families, with the focus this current fiscal year on building the foundation.

That means putting together the right putting the right partnerships in place, aligning systems, and creating a structure that allows us to move faster and smarter on behalf of our kids.

While the work may not always be visible, it is absolutely essential.

And today we are beginning to see some of those results take shape.

In just the past year, we've created the first children's cabinet, bringing over 30 leaders from across systems together around a shared goal, a focus in this first year around housing stability for children, transportation, early grade literacy, and youth internships.

We've launched five action alliances consisting of over a hundred representatives from across the city, as well as high schoolers themselves to drive the work that we're focusing on as we work across the cradle to career continuum.

And because of a shared goal and clarity on student outcomes, we've seen improvements.

More than 150 additional children enrolled in pre-K, more than 830 students no longer chronically absent, more than 200 additional eighth graders now proficient in math, all signs that our youth are finding that pathway to economic mobility.

This budget builds on all that momentum while maintaining builds on all that momentum while also strengthening how this work lives inside of City Hall.

All that said, this first year has worked exactly as it should have.

We laid the foundation thanks to the work of the Deputy Mayor, Chris Alreyus, who is here.

Thank you, Peter Crystal.

And Ashley Phillipson.

Now, in year two, it is clear that our next step is to bring someone in the city hall that can have a laser focus on moving this work forward, moving us from strategy to further implementation.

This is not about changing the partnership that we have.

It's about strengthening the structure as the children's cabinet moves to launch pilot initiatives to address early grade literacy, expanding partnerships to increase and expanding partnerships to increase use youth internship opportunities.

It ensures that this work is fully integrated with the city and continues to move forward with focus and urgency.

And importantly, we're doing all this while maintaining the same level of funding as the current fiscal year, 275,000, which amounts to about half of a half of a percent of the overall general budget.

I mention it only because with a relatively small investment, we're making a tremendous impact, and everybody on the council is to be commended for that.

And I thank you.

So this budget supports a wide range of services that Tulsa's rely on daily, including everything from maintaining parks and public spaces, keeping pools open during the summer, operating youth programs and day camps, fully funding our crossing guard program, supporting Route 66 centennial related initiatives, ensuring mowing cycles are covered across the city, and making sure our trash and graffiti crews are funded.

Shout out to Phil Lakin.

This budget also supports a variety of capital needs, including $19.5 million for housing initiatives to help us meet our affordable housing goals, $3 million for neighborhood improvements, and $16 million for street and transportation projects.

These are just some of the services that define the quality of life in our city, and our budget meets those and more.

So this budget reflects a careful balance of responsibility and opportunity, and it is defined by the people who carry that work out every day.

The City of Tulsa team is the reason we have the best tasting water in the country, is a reason a 311 operator answers your calls, and it's the reason that in the middle of the night or in freezing temperatures, there's a team fixing a broken water line or saving someone's property from imminent disaster.

As we've gone through the budget process, we've tried to ensure our investments reflect the core duties that our employees deliver every day.

The budget before you builds on current staffing levels in areas with long-standing needs, and it takes care of the people who make this city run by providing for compensation adjustments.

Our workforce here at the City of Tulsa shows up every single day, no matter who the mayor is or who's serving on the council.

They're the lifeblood of this organization and the city overall.

And for the last 16 months, I am I have been grateful to call them all, my coworkers and my friends.

In closing, I want to again lift up what this budget does.

It ends the backlog on code enforcement complaints, it raises wages for sworn and non-sworn employees.

It increases the permanent staffing levels at Tulsa Animal Services and Municipal Courts.

It invests in homelessness as we continue our path to functional zero.

It adds 55 police officers and 22 firefighters, and it infuses resources to spur economic growth across our city.

This budget is informed by so many, including the members of the council.

I want you to know that in every meeting, every one-on-one opportunity, every retreat we've had, I have listened, and our team has listened.

And what we have provided is a pathway forward on the issues critical to you and our shared constituents.

Over the coming weeks, I look forward to working closely with each of you to refine this proposal, align our shared priorities, and ensure that we are meeting the needs of this community head on.

I am confident that together we can navigate the challenges ahead and continue building a city that is not only strong today but sustainable for the future.

With that, Chairman Gilbert, Vice Chair Bingle, and Counselors, our respectfully submit this budget for your consideration.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mayor, for that presentation.

All right.

The remaining items 4C through 4Q will not be read aloud.

However, public comments will be received on these I DOMs.

No restraints.

Do we have any speakers?

We have three speakers.

The first is John Huffines on 4F and 4M.

No.

Thank you, Counselors.

Yes, I am thankful for our honorable leaders.

Peace.

Yes, peace.

I'm grateful for the honorable council chair, Karen Gilbert, the honorable vice chair, Christian Bengal, honorable counselors, staff, team, and security.

We're thankful to the citizens of this great city of love, Tulsa, Oklahoma.

It is a joy to be with you on this 22nd day of April in the year of our loving Lord Jesus Christ 2026.

Yes.

Agenda item 4F.

A joint resolution by the mayor and the city council of the city of Tulsa, designating the city of Tulsa and the city of Sumi, Ukraine as friendship cities.

Mayor, counselors, thank you for this resolution establishing a friendship city relationship between the city of Tulsa and the city of Sumi, Ukraine.

Research shows Sumi is a historic and vibrant city in northeastern Ukraine, home to approximately 200 250,000 residents and located near the Russian border.

It is a place of resilience, learning, and community life with universities, families, and strong civic spirit.

Sumi also carries a rich spiritual heritage.

The city is known for its beautiful cathedrals and churches, including the Holy Resurrection Cathedral and the Transfiguration Cathedral, which stand as historic landmarks in the heart of the city.

Even with all that is going on, these sacred spaces remain, carrying forward prayers, faith, and the message of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

As Tulsa forms a friendship with Sumi, we honor their strength, their devotion, and their enduring light.

May we supply each other with spiritual strength.

The majority of churches in Sumi are a part of the Eastern Christian tradition, especially the Orthodox Church, along with Catholic and Protestant communities.

These churches share foundational teachings rooted in the Holy Bible.

They proclaim Jesus Christ as the Son of God, honoring his life, his teaching, his sacrifice, and his resurrection, and encourage lives shaped by faith, prayer, and love for neighbor.

In Orthodox and Catholic traditions, worship includes scripture, prayer, and reverence for the historic Christian faith passed down through generations.

Protestant churches also gather around the Bible as the central authority, emphasizing a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and the message of salvation through him.

Together, these communities express a shared devotion to Christ and a desire to bring hope, compassion, and strength to their city.

This friendship city designation offers a beautiful opportunity.

Two cities, Tulsa and Sumi, connected across nations, encouraging one another in civic life in community and in faith in Jesus Christ.

May this partnership bring mutual blessing, greater understanding, and a continued spirit of unity.

God almighty, we invoke your guidance.

Agenda item 4M, a special event application, Holy Family Classical School Field Day, held scheduled for May 22nd, 2026 at 900 South Boulder Avenue.

This special event application for Holy Family Classical School Field Day highlights the strength that comes from gathering students, families, and educators in a setting that celebrates community learning and shared values.

A day like this encourages healthy activity, healthy activity, joyful connection, and the building of friendships that can last a lifetime.

In this school, education reaches beyond academics and includes the formation of character, virtue, and a life rooted in faith.

It points to the dignity of each person, the importance of service, and a deep reverence for God through the teachings of Christ.

Events like this strengthen both families and our broader community.

Thank you for supporting opportunities that nurture unity and lift up the name of Jesus Christ.

And thank you, counselors, for always doing your best to help Tulsa be her best.

Thank you, Mr.

Heffines.

Next speaker, please.

The next speaker is James Alexander Jr.

on 4H and 4I.

Good evening, Counselor.

Good evening.

You know, I'm getting tired of coming up here saying the same thing every time.

So I'm gonna change it up a little bit.

It's time for North Tulsa to get off their knees, stop praying, and come down here and get their money.

This is North Tulsa's money.

The area you already know, and look across the nation where this money goes to different cities and different places.

You don't see this kind of stuff.

You don't see that the city has taken over.

You don't see that.

And it's time for the city of Tulsa to build up North Tulsa.

And this money has been coming over here for over 50 years, and still places in North Tulsa are not developed.

Who has the problem?

Is it the city?

We know the city's history with black people.

We know that.

It's time to become a world-class city and include everybody.

And everybody's money is supposed to go to every place it's supposed to go.

This is a mess.

You got one that's going to the uh Comanche.

And that's that's not even a good thing because you're bringing in other people for that area.

We know that the city of Tulsa thing is for North Tulsa for some blacks to be there, but for us not to be all black.

We know that because history shows us that.

Next speaker, please.

The final speaker is Bernice Alexander on 4H and 4I.

Good evening, counselors.

Good evening.

This is a very serious issue.

HUD is a very serious issue in this city.

This city has grossly misused HUD funds in the area that the funds are sent to help.

Now, we have been working on behalf of the community for over 30 years now.

And as I said a little bit earlier, the Justice Department has made a request for information from our neighborhood group about how that area has been treated.

North Tulsa, a predominantly black area.

So it's time out for what you're doing.

Because every person who lives in this city matters.

Every person.

It has been attacked by this local city government.

The city had all of the utilities shut off at his home.

His daddy was a military person who received a purple heart.

And maybe that's why he has such fight in him.

And many of my relatives, and even some of the younger generation now, are serving to help keep this country safe and what it should be.

Now, what is happening in the North Tulsa community, who is one of the bigger beneficiaries of the HUD funds, is that those people have been robbed.

That community has been robbed by this local government, both city and county.

And as a people that live here, all of us are being held accountable about how we treat each other because there's a higher force that's looking over all humans, God, and it matters to him how we treat each other.

Every person matters to him.

And they should matter to us.

And provided monies since the 1960s for black communities as well as other communities.

And I don't know how come this council and the county government seems to feel that certain people should be treated a certain way.

Now if the city is trying to make my family an example, the city has shut off all the utilities to our home, my husband's home that he inherited from his family.

That man fought his daddy fought for this country.

Country's freedom.

And so that his children would be able to live in a free country and not an oppressive country.

This city body and the county not only have had all utilities shut off, they have had some vandalism taking place with the property that my husband's dad bought when my husband was five years old, and he grew up in that property.

This city, I'm saying this to you all because I want you to know that this city has no right to take or try to take that man's property.

Now they've tried and they've been stopped.

The city and the county seconds, Miss Bernice.

So we need to be careful about how we treat each other.

This is a serious matter.

You let the sewer and the water systems fail.

We had to write uh to the federal government to get those systems in place.

Miss Bernice, your time has passed.

Okay.

Thank you.

Uh you're welcome, but you're gonna hear more of this, and the whole city is gonna hear more of it, and hopefully, the whole city will be more considerate of the people that live here because we all matter.

Thank you, Miss Bernice.

And this problem will be solved.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Is there any council discussion?

Move to approve items 4C through 4 Q with the emergency clause on 4C.

Second, please call the room.

Counselor Lincoln.

Yes, Counselor Bush.

Yes, Councillor Harbor, yes, Counselor Archie.

Yes, Counselor Dutton, yes, Councillor Gilbert, yes, Counselor Bingo.

Yes, Councilor Director Wright?

Yes.

All right, items 4C through 4Q are approved with the emergency clause on 4C.

Five authorities, boards, and commissions, five A final plot for fit, excuse me, final plat for Phoenix at 36 North Phase 1, consisting of one lot, one block on 3.62 acres, located at the southeast corner of East 36th Street North and North Peoria Avenue B.

Final Plat of Indus Elite and consisting of two lots, one block and 8.09 acres located at the northeast corner of South 129th East Avenue and East 11th Street.

Z rezoning application Z 7853 from RS3 to CH for property located on the northeast corner of north of the northeast corner of Southwest Boulevard and West 38th Place South.

Do we have any speakers on any of these items?

There are no speakers.

Council discussion?

Move to approve items 5A through C.

Second.

Please call the roll.

Counselor Lakin?

Yes.

Counselor Bush?

Yes.

Counselor Harper?

Yes.

Counselor Archie?

Yes.

Counselor Dutton.

Yes.

Counselor Gilbert?

Yes.

Counselor Bengal?

Yes.

Counselor Dr.

Wright?

Yes.

All right.

Items 5A through C are approved.

Six ordinances.

First reading.

The following items in the section of the agenda will not be read aloud and without objection.

Item 6B through 6B will be forwarded to the next council meeting for action.

7 ordinances, second reading, A ordinance, um rezoning ordinance, CO22, a proposed corridor development plan for property property located south of the southwest corner of East 63rd Street South and South 105th East Avenue.

B rezoning ordinance Z7849 from IL to CS for property located on the northeast corner of East Apache Street and North Columbia Avenue.

C rezoning application or rezoning MPD 8 from RS3 to MPD 8 for multiple properties bounded by West 22nd Street, South Main Street, West Woodward Boulevard, and South Riverside Drive.

Do we have any speakers?

There are no speakers.

Sir Council Discussion.

Move to approve items 7A through 7C.

Second.

Please call the roll.

Yes.

Counselor Lakin.

Counselor Bush.

Yes.

Counselor Hall Harper.

Yes.

Counselor Archie?

Yes.

Counselor Dutton?

Yes.

Counselor Gilbert?

Yes.

Counselor Bengal?

Yes.

Counselor Dr.

Wright?

Yes.

All right.

Items 7A through 7C are approved.

Eight council items.

8A Councillors' announcements and reports on current community events, activities, efforts, and concerns other than announcements and reports, and no discussion will ensue.

Counselor Dunton.

Yes, so I want to announce on the 27th that Councillor Hall Harper and myself will be having a joint town hall to discuss the vacancy improvement program.

Round two.

Okay.

This will be held.

There's more.

There is.

Sorry.

At cross crossover community impact, 928, 938, East 36th Street North, 74106.

Okay.

Email me for any questions.

Counselor Hall Harper.

Yes, I'd like to announce the Tulsa Reparations Summit.

Um that will start on this Friday, the 24th and run through the 26th, closing out on Sunday at uh historic Vernon AME Church.

Um this is a summit that's being uh hosted by the Beyond Apology Commission and various partners.

So you can go on social media and just search Tulsa Reparation Summit to get the information on how to register.

Registration is a nominal $19.21 cents in honor of 1921.

And so please come out and get some good information from national speakers.

We have several national uh speakers coming in to speak on local and national reparations.

Thank you.

Okay, thank you.

Any other announcements going going?

Happy Earth Day to all, right?

Oh very good, very good.

Yes, happy Earth Day.

Thank you.

All right.

Um moving on to items eight B and C.

Councilor Hall Harper is recusing.

Item B donation from the Tulsa Community Foundation for the Tulsa City Council for Route 66 challenge coins valued at 915 dollars.

C travel authorization per council rules and orders of business in the estimated amount of 1,550 dollars for counselor Hall Harper to travel to Omaha, Nebraska to attend the 19th annual rebuilding the village conference and revive Black Business Expo to be held on May 5th through the 8th.

Do we have any speakers?

There are no speakers.

Sir Council discussion.

Move to approve items 8B and 8C.

Second.

Please call the roll.

Counselor Lakin.

Yes.

Counselor Bush.

Yes.

Counselor Archie?

Yes.

Counselor Dutton?

Yes.

Counselor Gilbert?

Yes.

Counselor Bengal?

Yes.

Counselor Dr.

Wright?

Yes.

All right.

Items 8B and 8C are approved.

Nine, new business.

There are no items this week.

10.

Hearing of appeals, no items this week.

11 public comments, no comments this week.

12.

We are adjourned.