Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in Tulsa public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
50 issues with high priority
Future of Tulsa Asia Fest
The commission voted to hand the festival — which drew 8,000-10,000 people — to Tulsa Asian Collective after concluding a volunteer city commission couldn't sustain it. The festival could return in 2028.
Declining Asian business ownership in Tulsa
Tulsa Equality Indicators data shows Asian business ownership has dropped since 2018 even as the Asian population grows — the only community with that trend. Business owners pointed to complex taxes, sales-tax penalties on first-year businesses, lack of a one-stop startup resource, and immigration fears.
Mohawk golf course floodgate repair
Flooding at Mohawk Park Golf Course has cost nearly $300,000 since May and the course runs a $260,000 annual loss while Page Belcher profits. Operators propose a roughly $750,000 floodgate fix and a $14-15 million master plan renovation, funded by existing bond money, a possible revenue bond, and private fundraising.
Brookside parking and mixed-use development
A property owner wanted to push parking spots 10 feet from the street instead of the required 25 feet near homes on 37th Place. Six neighbors opposed, arguing the extra two spots weren't worth eroding the transition between Brookside businesses and homes.
Downtown hotel proposal question
Visit Tulsa reported losing 15 convention events, 90 percent of the time because downtown hotels aren't walkable to the convention center. Delegates stuck in distant hotels get locked out of activities — a big argument for the guest tax-funded convention center development.
After-school and youth programming pilot
Councilors and staff agreed teens have almost nowhere safe and free to go at night — the Gathering Place's own audit found almost no youth organizations operate evenings and weekends. The Office of Children, Youth and Families may be tasked with filling that gap.
Utility assistance program funding
A placeholder of $250,000 was floated for utility assistance, but the council's working group found that would cover only about a month of need. Councilors Bengel, Bellis and Gilbert sit on the working group and are designing criteria.
Safe Move Tulsa homelessness reporting and funding pace
The mayor's office reported 449 Tulsans housed through Safe Move Tulsa, with nine encampments decommissioned so far — and councilors pressing for the next camp-closure announcement.
Human remains protection ordinance
Developers digging in Greenwood could unearth remains or artifacts with no local process for handling them — artifacts have literally been lost before. The ordinance would create descendant-centered consultation, a review panel, and stop-work rules, though amendments are needed to protect the ongoing Oaklawn mass graves investigation and clarify boundaries.
71st & Union apartment rezoning (CO-23)
A 266-unit workforce housing development near 71st and Union divided the council and the neighborhood. Residents cited traffic, Jenks school capacity, floodplain and gas line risks, and alleged backroom dealing after a key protest petition signature was withdrawn minutes before the deadline.
City Job Recruitment
A few formerly contracted jobs — including the Office of Children, Youth and Families director ($137,000 moving in-house) — become city employees. Councilors asked whether the city compared bids or explored other providers.
Traffic and infrastructure planning at 71st and Union
The University of Tulsa's land at 11th and Harvard — long promised by TU to be kept as green space, according to a neighbor — is being turned into a restaurant with a drive-through and parking lot. The rezoning was already approved last week; the ordinance vote codified it, and a resident asked the council to pause over traffic on Indianapolis Avenue.
Youth Economic Mobility Goal
A subcommittee is building an annual survey/census tracking conditions affecting Black Tulsans across education, policy, and culture, using secondary data from partners like Impact Tulsa. Full commission approval is targeted for Q2 of next year.
Creation and History of GTAC
The $105 million Greenwood Trust is fully established with a national governing board under President/CEO Alena Beverly, with announcements expected soon. Mayor Nichols' priorities include economic mobility for 15,000 kids, ending homelessness by 2030, affordable housing, tribal relations, and business friendliness.
Large home vs. open space rules near 27th & Peoria
A 30x50 shop on a big lot was denied after neighbors feared a car-repair business, drainage impacts near a Moser Creek tributary, and blind-hill traffic. The board pointed out the owner could attach the building to the house and skip the variance entirely.
Tulsa Public Schools Challenges
Commissioner Hall-Harper raised that Black history is restricted in Oklahoma with over 100 books banned, and proposed interviewing educators about HB 1775's classroom impact — data that currently doesn't exist.
Illegal dumping activity and enforcement
Staff investigated 23 illegal dumping cases in May but have written only about two citations in two and a half years, because blurry game-camera photos usually aren't enough for prosecutors, who want identifiable faces. New Flock cameras are expected to improve evidence quality. One case involving over 100 barrels dumped along Flat Rock Creek in North Tulsa became a federal investigation.
Civic Center parking operations performance
Elevator modernization is about halfway done with dry shafts after weather problems were fixed, and the extensive structural study of the parking garage is wrapping up.
Greenwood Legacy Corporation capacity building and conveyance agreements
Tulsa is adapting Omaha's Empowerment Network playbook: a community-built action plan covering entrepreneurship, jobs, housing, and education, with monthly public meetings to keep momentum. Omaha's version produced nearly $2B in Black-led development and a 95% growth in Black-owned businesses with employees.
TDA land development and small-developer support in North Tulsa
A family's plan to place a manufactured home on a North Tulsa lot divided neighbors over property values and neighborhood character; the board approved it with a replacement-unit condition.
Philcade building TIF split into Districts J and K
The second amended downtown TIF plan corrects a decades-old sales tax rate, adds funding to the Cathedral District, and pulls the FIN2 site out of the downtown TIF so more increment can flow north. Public hearings come Feb. 25 and March 11.
Black Wall Street Square redevelopment timeline
Infrastructure analysis (water, sewer, stormwater) is due this month, with community engagement on development scenarios planned for November and a joint TDA-GLC RFP for missing-middle housing expected in December.
Z-7872: Senior housing at former Sandberg Elementary
Vintage Housing wants to replace the closed Sandberg Elementary in east Tulsa with senior living — possibly two 80-unit buildings. Longtime neighbors worry about traffic on their quiet residential streets, especially with only four days' notice of the sale.
Transparency of judgment and settlement payments
The city is paying out roughly $285K in a First Amendment retaliation case brought by a former police major. Property owners indirectly repay the Sinking Fund through a three-year levy.
Comprehensive Plan housekeeping amendment (CPA-134)
An architect's project near Newton and Oswego won approval for four townhomes with ground-floor space that could host a neighborhood coffee shop, billed as walkable missing-middle housing — though one neighbor objected to any mixed use in the residential interior.
Children's mental health grant final-year funding
Councilors Bellis and Decter Wright called 911 co-response and forensic ACT team funding non-negotiables given state mental health cuts and federal instability, urging the committee find the dollars.
Bond appropriations for streets, bridges, sidewalks, and the PAC
Leftover 2014 and 2020 Go Bond balances — about $7.6 million — get swept into citywide street rehab to help close a projected $147 million shortfall caused by post-2023 construction cost spikes. It keeps 246 outstanding bond projects funded.
Downtown juvenile curfew continuation
The curfew has cut youth gatherings downtown, with only 33 citations through July 20, but councilors flagged demographic disparities and the lack of safe, affordable places for teens at night. Staff will dig deeper into demographics and curfew activity outside downtown.
Outdoor storage condition dispute on East Tulsa industrial site
City council stripped outdoor equipment and materials storage from a rezoning two years ago, and now the property owner wants it back to support a heat-exchanger manufacturer planning 400 jobs. Staff says it's a major deviation; the commission split 3-2 to send it forward, with the final call going to council.
Opioid settlement funds for mental health crisis response
The small budget committee recommends funding a new forensic mental health team with about $400,000 in opioid-settlement dollars for three years, while continuing to monitor funding for the embedded COEPS 911 program. Councilors flagged survey data showing residents feel mental health services are badly lacking.
Dreamkeepers Park renovation design
The cultural advisory committee ranked three design concepts for the Dreamkeeper Park, and a consolidated plan from the Native-owned architecture firm is still to come.
SOBO district and Native American collaboration
Community surveys show residents want a gathering place — not a museum — where Native families can meet, eat, and bring their kids. A location decision could unlock a grant application by July, and an offered space has reignited momentum.
Geographic representation on city boards and commissions
More than half of the city's board and commission members come from just two council districts. The commission will present recommendations to City Council on June 24 at Councilor Dutton's invitation.
2027 Learning Agenda and Commission Priorities
The commission has been paying for event supplies, marketing materials, and giveaways out of its own pockets. The deputy chief of staff suggested partnering with community organizations now and making a unified case across commissions for budget dollars next summer.
Online Human Rights Commission complaint form
The Human Rights Commission is moving complaint submissions online instead of requiring an in-person visit to the city clerk's office, and districts 3 and 6 are underrepresented on city boards.
City Jail Closure
$1.5 million will retrofit the David L. Moss facility so the city can move lockup operations to the county — the result of jail negotiations that capped city costs under $3 million.
Police complaint and internal affairs transparency
The new police chief walked the committee through how complaints are investigated, revealing that of 272,000 calls for service last year only nine citizen complaints were filed and only 2% are historically sustained. He committed to merging the department's confusing annual reports into one and holding public transparency sessions.
Updated floodplain maps and resident notification
Updated floodplain maps for Vensel Creek and a FEMA revision near 81st Street will move some properties into and out of the regulatory floodplain. The city will mail notification letters and encourage flood insurance either way.
Sales tax-funded projects oversight
STOC's report flagged mounting uncontrolled costs: $20,000 in storage fees for the Crybaby Hill sculpture, roughly $700,000 in unbudgeted road work tied to Dreamkeepers Park, and an $18.9 million jail/courts line item with no plan. Councilors said they need to attend STOC meetings themselves.
138th Fighter Wing F-35A squadron bid
The council unanimously urged the Air Force to choose Tulsa's 138th Fighter Wing for the next Air National Guard F-35A squadron — a major long-term commitment for the base and local economy.
1921 Graves investigation
A $260,641.88 budget transfer keeps forensic genetic genealogy work moving on potential 1921 Race Massacre victims before the federal grant deadline.
North Tulsa early voting access
The county moved its long-running downtown early voting site to far East Tulsa and added another in south Broken Arrow, leaving North Tulsa and the urban core without a convenient site. A city resolution urges the Election Board to add a North Tulsa site for the August 2026 election and beyond; critics called it county business the city shouldn't touch.
Flat Rock Creek soft-surface trails
Tulsa Parks wants about nine miles of hiking and biking trails across roughly 200 acres of floodplain land north of East 36th Street, plus two gated parking lots. Neighbors want details on fencing, parking, tree removal and security — and some are angry about trail builders trespassing — so the case returns December 8 after an open house.
Homelessness and winter shelter
A low-barrier shelter is set to open soon to house people through the winter. Point-in-time homelessness counts have decreased every year, though the 2030 goal remains ambitious.
New Tulsa Animal Services facility nearing completion
After 13 years and $13.8 million in funding, Tulsa's new animal shelter should be ready by the end of September. It adds isolation rooms, a bigger surgery suite, separate cat and dog areas, and a sally port — all things the current shelter lacks.
Tulsa Animal Services FY 2026-2027 budget and staffing
Animal Services is asking for eight new positions next fiscal year to staff the new shelter and keep improving outcomes. Councilors voiced support but noted past staffing requests were larger and warned that budget-year positions are hard to add later.
Small-business lending and CDFI certification
TEDC's Rose Washington urged continued CDBG-backed small business loans, noting a ~12% loss rate, a revolving loan fund, and a new plan to connect rapidly rehoused residents with jobs at supported businesses.
Tulsa County Sheriff's Office role in immigration enforcement
A family's son was arrested on a municipal violation and referred to ICE from the city jail — something members thought wasn't supposed to happen. Members also heard that the county jail holds people for immigration, families pay bonds but don't get releases, and detainees aren't searchable in the online system.
Peak of the Parkway TIF district
A new tax increment financing district (No. 27) in the Pearl District would funnel future property tax growth into neighborhood economic development. Action deferred to July 15.
Donate and Dash donation drive for Family Safety Center
The health and emotional safety committee is running a donate-and-dash drive-thru event October 3 at the Family Safety Center, with volunteer shifts, an Amazon supply list, tours, and hoped-for remarks from the mayor or deputy mayor.