Mayor Monroe Nichols will hold a second round of Community Conversations during the month of October, the city announced Wednesday.
The meetings are an opportunity for Tulsans to receive updates from the mayor and other city officials on the state of the city and its top priorities and challenges. Each meeting will include a panel of topic-specific experts that who provide a progress report on initiatives underway to create improved community outcomes.
“As we navigate some of the largest issues facing our city, engaging with Tulsans will be at the heart of how we build a stronger community,” Nichols said in a press release. “These conversations allow us to sit down together, talk honestly about the challenges we face, and work toward solutions that reflect the needs and values of our city.”
Each meeting will have a different focus. They are: public safety, alternative response, and mental health; essential and daily services; children, youth and family outcomes; homelessness and housing; and neighborhood conditions/vitality.
The announcement comes just days after Nichols said he planned to engage the community on the challenges facing the city and the funding mechanisms the city has available to address them.
He pointed to separate analyses that indicate a need for the city to raise more revenue and residents’ openness to considering a sales tax increase or the issuance of revenue bonds to accomplish that.
The sales tax analysis, conducted by the City Auditor’s Office at Nichols’ request earlier this year, found that Tulsa’s sales tax rate was the fourth-lowest of the 14 municipalities listed in the report.
In a survey of 600 Tulsans conducted by the Children’s Funding Project, meanwhile, 75% of respondents said the city has either a great need (39%) or some need (36%) for additional funding to maintain essential services.
The survey, which had a margin of error of plus or minus 4%, also showed strong support among Democrats (94%), independents (86%) and Republicans (66%) for a 0.7% sales tax increase.
The city’s press release makes no reference either to the auditor’s report or to the survey.
Here is a list of the meeting dates and locations. Each meeting will run from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Oct. 1: OU-Tulsa, Founders Hall, 4502 E. 41st St.
Topic: Public Safety, Alternative Response, and Mental Health
Oct. 13: Hardesty Regional Library, Frossard Auditorium, 8316 E. 93rd St.
Topic: Essential and Daily Services
Oct. 21: Tulsa Tech Lemley Memorial Campus, 3420 S. Memorial Drive.
Topic: Children, Youth and Family Outcomes
Oct. 27: Herman & Kate Kaiser YMCA, 5400 S. Olympia Ave.
Topic: Homelessness and Housing
Oct. 30: North Tulsa Dream Center, 200 W. 46th St. North
Topic: Neighborhood Conditions/Vitality
Residents will have the opportunity to visit and engage in one-on-one conversations with city officials, including department heads and elected leaders, following the presentations.
Tulsans can also submit questions on the topics they would like answered by the city of Tulsa online at forms.office.com/g/Q7VBrmXMVW.
Questions will be answered at the meetings or a city representative will respond directly.
All meetings will be recorded and posted on the city of Tulsa’s YouTube page, @CityofTulsa, on the week of the meeting date.
The mayor’s first series of community conversations was held in April and May.
kevin.canfield@tulsaworld.com
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Kevin Canfield
Tulsa World Reporter
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