Tulsa City Council and Community Briefing Summary - August 13, 2026
Tulsa City Council and Community Briefing Summary - August 13, 2026
The meeting comprised a naturalization ceremony, presentations on city programs and infrastructure, and educational segments on topics such as recycling, coyote management, and historic preservation. No formal votes were taken, but funding allocations and project updates were highlighted.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Nineteen individuals from eleven countries (Belgium, and others) became United States citizens during a naturalization ceremony officiated by Bruce Pollin. Deputy Mayor Crystal Reyes delivered the keynote address, welcoming the new citizens and emphasizing Tulsa's commitment to inclusivity. Councillor Bengal and other city staff were present to support the event. The ceremony included presentations of colors by the Tulsa Fire and Police Departments.
Discussion Items
- ART One (Alternate Response Team): A co-response model staffed by a firefighter paramedic trained in crisis intervention and a licensed professional counselor from Family & Children's Services. The unit responds to mental/behavioral health crises citywide, with about 20% of responses involving unhoused individuals. The program aims to connect high-utilizers of 911 with social services and provide follow-up care, addressing social determinants such as education, employment, and healthcare.
- Streetlight Operations: The city owns and maintains approximately 6,000 highway/freeway lights, while PSO owns residential and arterial streetlights. The city is converting to LED lighting with a control system that will automatically report outages. PSO is also adding sensors to residential lights. Residents can request new streetlights via 311 if funding is available and at least three of four nearby property owners agree.
- Tulsa Transit: The Peoria Aero Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line has doubled ridership. A planned Route 66 BRT line will reduce travel time. In 2023, Tulsa Transit reached two million riders. New service names were unveiled: MetroLink Tulsa (main bus), MicroLink, and Link Assist.
- Zoning Process: The Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission (TMAPC) handles zoning changes, subdivisions, and comprehensive plan amendments. Applications require public notice (posted signs, newspaper, mailed to owners within 300 feet) at least 20 days before a public hearing. The City Council votes on applications, requiring a simple majority to pass.
- True Reads Water Meter Program: Starting in 2024, over 145,000 residential water meters will be replaced with automated meters over four years. The program includes advanced notification, a door hanger, and on-day contact. Water service will be interrupted for a maximum of 30 minutes. Crews will also conduct lead service line inspections, with results posted on an online map.
- Memorial Drive Storm Inlet Repairs: Funded by $75,000 from Vision allocated funds for District 8, $150,000 from District 7 community development funds, and $100,000 from the city's general fund. Inlets will be raised to eliminate dips and provide a smooth road surface. Construction is expected to be completed in summer 2026.
- Dawson Bazaar Micro-Grocery: A membership-based, cashless grocery store serving the Dawson community, a food desert. Free membership for Dawson residents; others pay a nominal fee. The store will run on solar energy, use biodegradable packaging, and provide one free meal per child for all 450 K-12 students in the neighborhood. $500,000 in District 3 funds was allocated for infrastructure.
- North Tulsa Park Project: A planned park with biking/walking trails, a fishing pond, and nature access. The project has received overwhelming community support. Housing developments (apartments and hundreds of homes) in the area are expected to complement the park.
- Fire Department Apparatus: The Tulsa Fire Department purchases standardized trucks to ensure fleet mechanics' familiarity and consistent maintenance. New engines are designed with a shorter length for maneuverability in apartment complexes and narrow roads. The design and purchase process takes about 36 months.
- Animal Welfare Services: The Tulsa Animal Shelter provides resources (dog/cat food, tie-outs, dog houses) to help residents keep their pets. Officers handle strays and other animals (e.g., goats, pigs) and aim to build community relationships. The shelter operates 24/7.
- Educational Segments: The meeting included presentations on recycling (plastic bottles/jugs, paper/cardboard, glass, aluminum/steel cans), coyote management (best practices to avoid attracting coyotes and haze techniques), stormwater pollution prevention (keeping trash and chemicals out of drains), historic preservation (Maple Ridge, Swan Lake, Yorktown, downtown Art Deco, churches), and the history of the Spavanaugh water supply project.
Key Outcomes
- No formal votes were taken. Funding allocations were noted: $75,000 from Vision funds for Memorial Drive repairs and $500,000 from District 3 funds for the Dawson Bazaar. The city continues to invest in LED streetlight conversion, water meter automation, and the ART One mental health response program. The naturalization ceremony marked the 55th such event hosted at City Hall.
Meeting Transcript
Because this is a sparsely populated area, there was no development that was occurring out here. It was important that we try and figure out how to activate this corridor for future development. And I think by doing this, we've created a place where small developers or even larger developers can look at this and it be an attractive place to spur growth and development. I think it's important that when we invest in ourselves, investors will invest in us. When we first brought this issue to the attention of our district, everyone was a little bit overwhelmed by the fact that we had citizens that didn't have the basic necessity. Most of us, when we turn on our water, we expect that clean clear water is going to come out of our faucet. Everybody got behind this initiative. So thank you for going down this journey with us and making sure that we invest in our district and its future potential. Art One was established due to the need that we recognize within the community. We knew that we needed to address mental and behavioral health in a larger scale. Art One, our alternate response team one is a co-response model, and it is a team that is staffed with two individuals: a firefighter paramedic who is trained in crisis intervention, and a COPS clinician from Family and Children's Services. And so the Coops Clinician is a licensed professional counselor, and the TFD paramedic is someone who has had extra training in mental health and de-escalation techniques. And this unit responds to mental or behavioral health crisis calls throughout the city of Tulsa. Art One is able to respond to any age individual in crisis. And we do see a big need in the 18 to 45 range. We also know that about 20% of Art One's responses are to unhoused individuals. There's a lot of work being done, not just locally but nationally with addressing mental health. We were out ahead of the game in regards to a lot of the other cities in America in trying to address our need within our community. How can we better serve it? What we found was early on, we were seeing some of these people called 911 who just needed this assistance. And so these programs were invented very early on to meet that need. And it's proven to be so valuable when we're Bruce Pollin. This is really the best part of my job. And I'd like to take a moment to thank the City of Tulsa for allowing us to use the facility and to in supporting this program which allows us to naturalize people here in Tulsa. We are going to begin the today's naturalization ceremony with a presentation of the colors and the pledge of allegiance. If you would please rise for the presentation of the colors. Please follow me in the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you, you may be seated. Also, I'd like to thank the Tulsa Fire Department, Tulsa Police Department for presenting the colors in today's ceremony. In today's ceremony, there are nineteen individuals from eleven different countries. As I read the countries that you are from, if you would please stand for a moment, turn around, wave your flag because somebody back there wants a picture of you. And then sit back down and I'll read the next cut the next country. And these are in no particular order other than alphabetical. So Belgium. Renounce and abjure renounce. All allegiance and fidelity. To any foreign prince. Potentate state or sovereignty. Of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen. That I will support and defend the Constitution. And the laws of the United States of America. Against all enemies. Foreign and domestic. Foreign and domestic. That I will bear true faith. That I will bear true faith. And allegiance to the same. And I will bear arms. On behalf of the United States, on behalf of the United States.
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