City Charter Change: What’s Best for Tulsa?

Heather News

Tulsa voters may be making a number of decisions on some complicated and confusing proposed changes to the City of Tulsa’s form of government in the November 2011 election. The changes have been proposed by an organization called Save Our Tulsa, through their petition drive last fall, and by the City Council.

The League’s Local Study Committee and its four Units have spent the past several months and will work through the May meetings to discuss these changes. The goal is to hold a consensus meeting late in July in anticipation of the need to prepare educational materials about these proposed changes. Those materials will likely include an official League position on the proposals.

Though exactly what will and will not appear on the ballot is not currently known, the proposed changes being scrutinized include:
•    The addition of three at-large city councilors;
•    Changing city elections from partisan to non-partisan;
•    Changing the terms of office for councilors to two years and making those elections coincide with the federal and state election cycles;
•    Establishing the Mayor as chairman of the City Council with a only tie-breaking vote; and
•    Hiring a city manager to oversee Tulsa’s day-to-day operations.

Your input into this vital! Please attend one of the Unit meetings in April and May if you are able or contact one of the committee members to let us know your opinions on the proposed changes. Local Study Committee members are Mary Jane Lindaman, Gloria Caldwell and Jay Engle.