The City of
Tulsa
Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...
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
City commission government is a form of local government in the United States. In a city commission government, voters elect a small commission, typically of five to seven members, typically on a plurality-at-large voting basis.
These commissione ...
form of government. The
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
is elected by the entire population and each of the 9
Councilor
A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries.
Canada
Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...
s are elected from districts based on population.
Tulsa is the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
for
Tulsa County
Tulsa County is located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 669,279, making it the second-most populous county in Oklahoma, behind only Oklahoma County. Its county seat and largest city is Tulsa, the secon ...
. 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 current mayor of Tulsa is Mayor
G. T. Bynum, a
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
, who was first elected in 2016. 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.
In August 2021, Mayor
G. T. Bynum announced he would appoint Cassia Carr to be Deputy Mayor of Tulsa on August 30th, 2021.
City Auditor
The current auditor of Tulsa is Cathy Criswell. The auditor is elected independently of the City Council and Mayor to ensure the auditor can act in an objective manner. Criswell was elected in 2013. The city auditor serves a term of two years.
Councilors
The 2018-2021 Tulsa City Council has a historic super majority of women. The Chair and Vice-Chair of the Tulsa City Council are one year appointments which are nominated and elected by the Councilors each December. All 9 seats on the Council are nonpartisan and are elected by the voters of Tulsa in August (General Election) or November (Run Off Election) every other year.
City Hall
Until 2007, City Hall was located in the civic center, a sector of downtown that included most governmental services, including the Federal Courthouse, Tulsa County Courthouse, Tulsa City-County Library, and The Convention Center. In 2007 Mayor Kathy Taylor proposed to move City Hall from its civic center location to One Technology Center, on the northwest corner of Second Street and Cincinnati. 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.
The move then allowed the former City Hall property to be redeveloped into a new Aloft Hotel, to support the
BOK Center. The conversion was completed in 2013.
On July 12, 2007, the Tulsa City Council voted 8-1 to move the City Hall to One Technology Center.
History
Tulsa's first city office building was a two-story brick building constructed in 1906 at 211 West Second Street. Primarily intended as a fire station, it included administrative offices and a police station. The city jail was in the basement.
"A Chronological history of Tulsa, 1836 - 1950"
Tulsa County GenWeb site. The city quickly outgrew that facility and began renting office space in the privately owned Reeder Building.
In 1917, Tulsa government offices moved into a much larger facility at Fourth and Cincinnati, formally called the Municipal Building, to house city services. This served the city until the 1960s, when the Civic Center building was opened.
Tulsa Gal Website, February 19, 2010["Tulsa Municipal Building"](_blank)
Tulsa Preservation Commission.
References
External links
City of Tulsa
Tulsa City Council
*
{{Tulsa