Tulsa Development Authority adopts handbook changes, approves consultant work and legal title actions as finance report flags solvency concerns

The Tulsa Development Authority on its July meeting approved a set of policy supplements, several property and consulting agreements and authorized legal work to clear title on three tax-sale parcels, while its finance director warned the authority is “closer to dissolution or insolvency” and urged action on revenue and asset strategy.

The board approved the Tulsa Development Authority Handbook and the 2025 policy supplements intended to align employee and shared-staff policies, including new provisions on artificial intelligence, conflicts of interest, gifts, expenses, performance improvement and whistleblower protections. "While TDA does not have any employees, we still need to adopt the handbook itself," a presenter said, adding the supplements make employment policies consistent where staff are shared with partner organizations.

The meeting also included property and consultant approvals. The board voted to terminate the contract for sale of land with Habitat Housing Inc. for a parcel at 1807 North Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard after Habitat requested the termination because of capital constraints and uncertain construction timing. "The property was to be redeveloped into an owner occupied duplex plus a recreational site," a staff presenter said, and the authority will keep Habitat's deposit of $1,320 and market the lot to the public. Staff said Habitat still holds an interim use agreement for preconstruction staging for a related…