Tulsa, Oklahoma
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Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 45th-largest in the United States. With an estimated population of 384,037 in 2007, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Statistical Area, a region of 905,755 residents projected to reach one million between 2010 and 2012. The city serves as the county seat of Tulsa County, the most densely populated county in Oklahoma, and extends into Osage, Rogers, and Wagoner counties.
[edit] Website evaluation
- Main article: Evaluation of Oklahoma city websites
This website was most recently evaluated on Jan. 12, 2012.
[edit] The good
- Current budget is published.[1]
- Agendas and minutes for city council meetings are posted. [2]
- City council members are listed with contact information.[3]
- Administrative officials and department heads are listed with their contact information.[4][5]
- Building permits and zoning information provided.[6]
- Annual financial audits are published.[7]
- Information on city contracts is available.[8]
- Memberships to taxpayer-funded lobbying associations are disclosed.[9]
- Information provided on how to make records requests under the Oklahoma Open Records Act.[10]
- Taxes and tax revenue are broken down on the "Balancing Budget" page.[11]
- Includes info on the 3rd penny sales tax extension.[12] Sales tax and other tax information is also available.[13]
[edit] City Council
The current city council members.[14]
| Council member | District | Term | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Henderson | 1 | - | Democrat |
| Jeannie Cue | 2 | - | Republican |
| David Patrick | 3 | - | Democrat |
| Blake Ewing | 4 | - | Republican |
| Karen Gilbert | 5 | - | Republican |
| Byron "Skip" Steele | 6 | - | Republican |
| Thomas Mansur | 7 | - | Republican |
| Phil Lakin, Jr. | 8 | - | Republican |
| GT Bynum | 9 | - | Republican |
The Mayor is the chief executive officer of the City. In this capacity, the Mayor has all executive and administrative powers conferred on the City by the State Constitution and the laws of Oklahoma. The Mayor is not a member of the City Council.[5]
Dewey Bartlett Jr. currently serves as Mayor.
[edit] Budget
The FY 12 total budget is $649,313,000 – a 15 percent increase from the original FY 11 amount. The operating budget is $576,143,000 and the Capital Improvements budget totals $73,170,000. The operating budget is increasing by 10 percent and the capital budget is up 76 percent from FY 11. FY 12 revenue projections total $617,618,000.[15]
[edit] Taxes
Inside the City limits of Tulsa, the sales tax is 8.517%. Of this, the State of Oklahoma receives 4.5%, Tulsa County receives 1.017%, and the City receives 3%.[16]
The City has five major tax categories and collectively they provide 54% of the projected revenue. Sales tax at 3% (2% to general fund and 1% to capital fund), Use tax is 3%, Franchise tax/right-of-way user fees, hotel/motel tax at 5% and Ad Valorem tax sufficient to pay for the principal and interest on bond indebtedness and any court judgments against the City.[16]
[edit] Lobbying
The City of Tulsa does not retain the services of a private lobbyist. The City is a member of the Oklahoma Municipal League, the United States Conference of Mayors, the National League of Cities, and the Tulsa Metro Chamber of Commerce. Each of these organizations do advocate on behalf of their members at the Federal and State levels of government on issues, some of which are of interest to the City of Tulsa.[17]
[edit] Public Employees
The Tulsa website provides information on public employees, including union collective bargaining information/[18]
[edit] External links
- Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Tulsa Business, Awards reflect commitment, Aug. 17, 2010
- News on 6, City Of Tulsa Wins Several Awards, Aug. 17, 2010
- Tulsa World, Tulsa chosen for innovation fund program, Aug. 18, 2010
- City of Tulsa, City of Tulsa Receives Awards, August 2010
