OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Tulsa City Council Regular Meeting – August 19, 2026

City Council — Wednesday, August 19, 2026
BodyTulsa, Oklahoma
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, August 19, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
0:00 / 26:56
Transcript — Verbatim
3:46

All right, good evening, and welcome to the five PM Tulsa City Council meeting.

3:51

You can view this meeting on our Facebook page, our YouTube channel, uh Cotch Channel Twenty Four, or at Tgovon Line dot org.

4:00

Assisting the council tonight are Jack Blair, our city attorney, Lori Doring, our Secretary to the Council, and Catherine Ong, uh, council staff.

4:09

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

4:16

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

4:20

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

5:00

And we have the cheering section.

5:01

We have the chairing section.

5:02

How come you guys don't have shirts?

5:05

You guys should be wearing shorts and size.

5:27

You do the intro.

5:28

All right.

5:32

Quiet down in the peanut gallery.

5:36

Good evening.

5:37

The city of Tulsa has an incredible team of over 3500 public servants.

5:43

Dedicated to making all aspects of city government run smoothly.

5:47

Each month the city council is pleased to recognize some of these exceptional public servants who have committed decades of their lives in their career with the city, and obviously we welcome their fans who are here with us tonight as well.

6:02

That's right.

6:05

Whereas these employees have dedicated years of service to the city of Tulsa, its officials and its citizens, and therefore we, Mayor Monroe Nichols, by the way, this is what the proclamation say, and the city council do hereby express our sincerest appreciation for these employees' hard years of service and dedication and continued service to the city of Tulsa and its citizens.

6:29

And in witness thereof, we hereby set our hands on this 19th day of August 2026.

6:35

And obviously, we really do mean that we are very appreciative of the work.

6:42

We know you guys spend a lot of hours.

6:44

You spend decades of your lives in service to the citizens.

6:48

So we're really grateful.

6:48

And this is only a small token of that appreciation.

6:52

So thank you again for all your hard work.

6:55

So our two individuals are.

6:58

All right, we have Donald Snow from Parks and Recreation.

7:03

Where are you?

7:10

I don't know if you're embarrassed, but I'm embarrassed clearly.

7:13

And Mr.

7:14

Snow has served 25 years to the city of Tulsa.

7:19

Thank you so much.

7:22

We're gonna do pictures.

7:24

So yeah.

7:26

We'll go down there.

7:28

As soon as I saw that Donnie made that one.

7:32

He did.

7:33

Oh wow.

7:36

As soon as I saw that sign crossing the screen, I was reading.

7:41

Do you do you want to do individual or group?

8:24

All right, our next one is Janet Lyons from Finance for 20 years of service.

8:41

Thank you so much.

8:42

All right.

8:43

Picture time.

9:11

This is so awesome.

9:14

All right.

9:14

Many employees who are receiving their years of service award this month could not be here tonight.

9:21

We would like to acknowledge their contributions to the city for 40 years of service.

9:25

Kenneth White with police.

9:28

Thirty years.

9:30

Curtis Langford with Water and Sewer.

9:34

For twenty five years of service, Raymond Beard with Fire, Adrian Seat Seibel with Fire, Oscar Espinoza in Public Works.

9:48

For 20 years of service, uh Matthew Arnold, Jason Bell, Adam Dawson, Robert Guardiola, Adam James, and James Slay, and Richard Urban, all from police.

10:04

Obviously, thank you to our fan club for being here as always.

10:08

You guys are so dedicated.

10:10

The continued growth of the city of Tulsa is a direct result of the valued employees that serve our city 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and thank you for that.

10:19

They are true representation of service, excellence, loyalty, and commitment.

10:24

Their work does not go unnoticed, and their many sacrifices are truly appreciated.

10:28

So thank you to all of you.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████55%
Public Engagement████████████████████25%
Human Rights Commission████████████15%
Public Safety████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Tulsa City Council Regular Meeting – August 19, 2026

The Tulsa City Council held its regular meeting on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, at 5:00 PM in the Council Chamber. The meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance, a moment of silence, and recognition of city employees for years of service: Donald Snow (Parks and Recreation, 25 years) and Janet Lyons (Finance, 20 years), along with acknowledgments of other award recipients not present. The council then proceeded through a consent agenda, appointments, mayor's items, ordinances, council announcements, and a brief public comment period. No public hearings or new business were on the agenda, and the scheduled appeal hearing (Item 10A) was pulled.

Consent Calendar

  • Item 1A–D: Minutes of the regular meetings on July 22 and July 29, 2026 (both 4:00 PM and 5:00 PM sessions) were approved unanimously.
  • Item 2A–D: Appointments and reappointments were approved: Carolina Ganti to the Tulsa City-County Board of Health (term expires July 31, 2027); John Hewitt to the Tulsa Performing Arts Center Trust (term expires June 30, 2029); Geoff Evans to the Tulsa Preservation Commission (term expires October 1, 2028); Joshua Starks to the Human Rights Commission (term expires July 1, 2028). All approved without objection.
  • Item 4B–V: Mayor's items (resolutions, license agreements, donations, special event applications, etc.) were approved as a block, with emergency clauses applied to items 4B, 4C, and 4D (condemnation resolutions and judgment payment). Key items included:
    • 4B: Condemnation of property at 1207 N. Harvard Ave. for the Coal Creek Rehabilitation and Relief Project (CD-3).
    • 4C: Condemnation of property at 11717 E. 41st St. S. for waterline and street improvements (CD-7).
    • 4D: Payment of $125,000 to Mary and Andrew Kuzmitsky from the Sinking Fund for a judgment and attorney fees in Case No. CJ-2025-1661.
    • 4E–G: License agreements with CoxCom, LLC for fiber optic installations in Mayes County (Projects 5-4-26-42, 43, 44).
    • 4H: Right-of-Way Occupancy Permit for Vero Fiber Networks, LLC.
    • 4I: Waterline easement donation from City-County Library Commission for Rudisill Library improvements (CD-1).
    • 4J: Deaccession and repatriation of one cultural object to the Tejon Indian Tribe under NAGPRA.
    • 4K–N: Travel donation approvals: $700 for Chad Stokes (National Fire Academy), $1,001.81 each for Jerry Ward and Major Ryan Perkins (Axon FOIA Executive Summit), $500 registration for Tonya Cromwell and Lori Jeffers (Oklahoma Healthcare & Retirement Plan Summit).
    • 4O: Donation of a Case IH Farmall 75C Tractor (valued at $99,707.59) from Oxley Nature Center Association.
    • 4P: Authorization for city departments to solicit donations up to $25,000 for the 2026 City of Tulsa Charitable Giving Campaign.
    • 4Q–V: Special event applications for Downtown Deco and Campaign Kickoff (Aug 22), Mayo Farewell Concert (Oct 1–3), St. Jude Walk Oklahoma (Sep 26), Race for Victory (Sep 12), Tailgate 5K (Sep 12), and 2026 Tulsa Race for the Cure (Sep 26).
  • Item 7A–C: Second reading ordinances approved unanimously: supplemental appropriations of $500,000 (TARE Refuse Operating Fund for Gilcrease Expressway Bridge Repair), $34,200.89 (Tulsa Stadium Improvement District Fund), and closure of a portion of alley and vertical air space at 316 E. 2nd St. to accommodate exterior doors.
  • Item 8B: Donation of $2,775 from Lovewell Collective, Tulsa FOP, OKToffee Company, and University Village for school supplies and refreshments for a Back to School Bash.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • John Huffines spoke in support of Items 2A–D (appointments), offering a prayer and expressing gratitude for the city leaders. He also spoke on Items 4K (travel donation for fire training) and 4T (Race for Victory special event), praising the fire department and Victory Christian Center's community work.
  • Item 11 (Hearing of Public Comments): According to the agenda, John Huffines requested reconsideration of reinstating the opening prayer at the 5:00 PM council meetings, and Michelle Poland expressed concerns about the cost of electricity in Tulsa. The transcript indicates the televised portion concluded without these speakers being heard, but the items were listed for public comment.

Discussion Items

  • Employee Recognition: Before the regular agenda, the council recognized Donald Snow (25 years) and Janet Lyons (20 years) for their service, and acknowledged additional award recipients (40 years: Kenneth White; 30 years: Curtis Langford; 25 years: Raymond Beard, Adrian Seibel, Oscar Espinoza; 20 years: multiple police officers).
  • Council Announcements (Item 8A): Councilor Archie reported on a Back to School Bash at Celebration Park with about 120 students, thanks to sponsors HF Sinclair and University Village. Councilor Dutton reminded drivers to obey school zone signage and slow down, and noted early voting began August 20 at the Tulsa County Election Board (now on east side). Councilor Bengal added reminders for safe driving near schools and provided early voting location details (4000 W. Florence St., Broken Arrow, and 1200 E. Skelly Drive) with polls open 7 AM–7 PM through August 22, with official precinct voting on August 25.
  • Ordinances – First Reading (Item 6A–F): Without objection, the following items were forwarded to the next council meeting for action: utility easement closure at 3608 N. Quaker Ave. (Housing Authority); supplemental appropriations of $125,000 (traffic enforcement grant), $441,084 (opioid settlement for FACT Team), $27,200 (motorcycle safety classes), $310,734.27 (golf course expenses); and amendments to stormwater regulations for shallow flooding zones (AO/AH Zones).

Key Outcomes

  • All consent items were approved unanimously (roll call votes: Councilors Dutton, Bellis, Gilbert, Bengal, Dr. Wright, Hall Harper, Archie – all present and voting aye).
  • The emergency clause was attached to resolutions 4B, 4C, and 4D (condemnation and judgment payment).
  • First reading ordinances (6A–F) were forwarded to the August 26, 2026 meeting for final action.
  • The appeal hearing (Item 10A) was pulled from the agenda.
  • The televised portion of the meeting concluded after public comments.

Meeting Transcript

All right, good evening, and welcome to the five PM Tulsa City Council meeting. You can view this meeting on our Facebook page, our YouTube channel, uh Cotch Channel Twenty Four, or at Tgovon Line dot org. Assisting the council tonight are Jack Blair, our city attorney, Lori Doring, our Secretary to the Council, and Catherine Ong, uh, council staff. If you wish to speak on an agenda item, please see Catherine 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 our flag of our country and remain standing for a moment of silence. And we have the cheering section. We have the chairing section. How come you guys don't have shirts? You guys should be wearing shorts and size. You do the intro. All right. Quiet down in the peanut gallery. Good evening. The city of Tulsa has an incredible team of over 3500 public servants. Dedicated to making all aspects of city government run smoothly. Each month the city council is pleased to recognize some of these exceptional public servants who have committed decades of their lives in their career with the city, and obviously we welcome their fans who are here with us tonight as well. That's right. Whereas these employees have dedicated years of service to the city of Tulsa, its officials and its citizens, and therefore we, Mayor Monroe Nichols, by the way, this is what the proclamation say, and the city council do hereby express our sincerest appreciation for these employees' hard years of service and dedication and continued service to the city of Tulsa and its citizens. And in witness thereof, we hereby set our hands on this 19th day of August 2026. And obviously, we really do mean that we are very appreciative of the work. We know you guys spend a lot of hours. You spend decades of your lives in service to the citizens. So we're really grateful. And this is only a small token of that appreciation. So thank you again for all your hard work. So our two individuals are. All right, we have Donald Snow from Parks and Recreation. Where are you? I don't know if you're embarrassed, but I'm embarrassed clearly. And Mr. Snow has served 25 years to the city of Tulsa. Thank you so much. We're gonna do pictures. So yeah. We'll go down there. As soon as I saw that Donnie made that one. He did. Oh wow. As soon as I saw that sign crossing the screen, I was reading. Do you do you want to do individual or group? All right, our next one is Janet Lyons from Finance for 20 years of service. Thank you so much. All right. Picture time. This is so awesome. All right. Many employees who are receiving their years of service award this month could not be here tonight. We would like to acknowledge their contributions to the city for 40 years of service. Kenneth White with police.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com