Mayor Monroe Nichols unveiled a new $1.22 billion budget Wednesday evening, proposing significant investments in public safety, homelessness programs and citywide infrastructure plans.
In a presentation before the Tulsa City Council, Nichols announced his intention to use $40 million gained from the 2016 Vision Tulsa package to help fund initiatives he has prioritized, including his plan to effectively end homelessness by 2030.
Also on the table: A new office dedicated to emergency management, 1,200 new streetlights across the city and an increase in resources for code enforcement.
Vision Tulsa was a voter-approved $884 million sales tax extension passed a decade ago and tailored to fund public safety, infrastructure, education and economic development efforts in the city. The 15-year economic development plan is set to expire in December 2031.
Nichols said the project has exceeded revenue performance expectations totaling over $100 million over the next few years. All of the projects originally under the 2016 tax package will be fully funded, Nichols said.
Mayor confident in council support
Over the last several months, Nichols has sought ways to obtain more revenue for the city to complete its projects and fund programs designed to fulfil his campaign promises on issues such as revitalizing neighborhoods and ending street homelessness. Some of the funding proposals he floated were met with pushback from City Council, including a failed sales tax increase pitch late last year.
But in his Wednesday night presentation, Nichols said he believes the council is on board with his latest budget pitch.
“I feel great. A lot of hard work went into it and I feel like we put forward a really responsible proposal and it helps us make progress,” Nichols told reporters. “We could have made the decision until 2032 to use those (Vision Tulsa) resources or we could begin to spend them responsibly now.”
Utility bills will go up to fund proposals
The budget proposal calls to increase utility payments by at least $6 a month per household on water, trash and recycling, stormwater and sewage.
It also would create an Office of Emergency Management, which would include three new positions to be funded. The office is designed to make emergency responses across the city more efficient.
Staffing on animal services will also increase, with around nine staffing positions to be added. The budget also plans to add 1,200 more new streetlights across neighborhoods and an increase in resources to address a backlog of code enforcement cases.
During the meeting, Nichols outlined the progress made on his campaign priorities over the last several months. City staff and their partners have closed six encampments and housed at least 120 people across the city. Thanks to collaborative efforts, he says the city is “well on their way” to finding long-term solutions and he ultimately feels “great about it.”
“Because of that we are getting people off the streets every day. The places we are getting people from are not returning,” Nichols said, referring to encampments. “We have to make sure that we continue to invest in what is necessary because if we stop that we will find ourselves in the same situation.”
Councilors will discuss the mayor’s budget and consider any possible changes before a final vote will be held over the next coming weeks. After the budget is approved, the fiscal year will begin July 1.
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