Government of Tulsa, Oklahoma

The City of Tulsa has a mayor-council form of government. This form of government has been in place since 1989, at which time Tulsa converted from a city commission form of government. The mayor is elected by the entire population and each of the 9 Councilors are elected from districts based on population.

Tulsa is the county seat for Tulsa County. Within the boundaries of the city and surrounding county are tribal lands belonging to and governed by various Native American nations.

Elected officials

Mayor

The present mayor of Tulsa is Kathy Taylor. She previously served as Secretary of Commerce and Tourism for the state of Oklahoma. Taylor, a Democrat, unseated William LaFortune, a Republican, in April 2006. The mayor serves a term of four years. The mayor is responsible for the day to day operations of the city and preparing a budget. The mayor names the police and fire chiefs.

Another former Tulsa mayor, Jim Inhofe, now represents Oklahoma in the United States Senate.

City Auditor

The current auditor of Tulsa is Phil Wood. The auditor is elected independently of the City Council and Mayor to insure the auditor can act in an objective manner. Wood, a Democrat, was first elected in 1988. The city auditor serves a term of two years.

Councilors

The current Chairman of the Tulsa City Council is Jack Henderson (District 1), and the Vice Chairman is Dennis Troyer (District 6). This position rotates between parties and members.

City Hall

Currently City Hall is located in the civic center, a sector of downtown that includes most governmental services. Nearby is the Federal Courthouse, County Courthouse, Central Library, and The Convention Center. In 2007 Mayor Kathy Taylor put forth a proposal to move City Hall from its current location to One Technology Center. Taylor argued that a recent study showed the move would save $15.2 million over a 10-year period. Most of the savings would come from the new energy efficient building.cite web | date=2007-06-13 | url=http://tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=070613_1_A9_hShet56844| title=Mayor: City Hall move is crucial| publisher=Tulsa World | author= P.J. Lassek| accessdate=2007-06-13] The move would then allow the City Hall property to be redeveloped into possibly a new hotel to support the new BOK Center. On July 12, 2007 the Tulsa City Council voted 8-1 to move the City Hall to One Technology Center.cite news | date=2007-07-13 | url=http://tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=070713_1_A1_spanc84687| title=City Hall move OK'd, with conditions| publisher=Tulsa World | author= P.J. Lassek| accessdate=2007-07-13]

References

External links

* [http://www.cityoftulsa.org City of Tulsa]
* [http://www.tulsacouncil.org Tulsa City Council]