The City of
Tulsa
Tulsa ( ) is the second-most-populous city in the state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tul ...
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
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, 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 responsibilitie ...
is elected by the entire population and each of the 9
Councilors 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 parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
for
Tulsa County
Tulsa County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 669,279, making it the second-most populous county in the state, behind only Oklahoma C ...
. 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
Monroe Nichols, a
Democrat, who was first elected in 2024.
City Auditor
The current auditor of Tulsa is Nathan Pickard. The auditor is elected independently of the City Council and Mayor to ensure the auditor can act in an objective manner. Pickard was first elected in 2024. The city auditor term is currently two years, but will become a term of four year term starting with the 2026 elections.
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
BOK Center, or Bank of Oklahoma Center, is a 19,199-seat multi-purpose arena and a primary indoor sports and event venue in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States. The two current permanent tenants are the Tulsa Oilers of the ECHL and the Tulsa Oiler ...
. 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 Tulsa Municipal Building, to house city services. This served the city until the 1960s, when the Civic Center building was opened.["The Many Homes of City Hall"](_blank)
. Tulsa Gal Website, February 19, 2010 The Municipal Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion C on July 18, 1975. Its NRIS number is 75001574.["Tulsa Municipal Building"](_blank)
Tulsa Preservation Commission.
References
External links
City of Tulsa
Tulsa City Council
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{{Tulsa