Public urges Tulsa to fund children, River Parks and sustainability as council approves multiple budget amendments

Public speakers at the Tulsa City Council’s hearing on the proposed fiscal year 2026 budget urged the council to fund programs for children and families, maintain River Parks services and hire a dedicated sustainability planner, while others raised concerns about stormwater fee increases. After public comment, the council approved a series of grouped budget amendments and ordinances.

River Parks Authority: Jeff Edwards, representing River Parks Authority, said the authority was removed from the city’s accounting system and has a budget deficit that required it to implement new accounts-payable and payroll systems. He warned that, without funding to cover those transitions, the authority could cut services such as mowing, trail lighting and restroom schedules. Edwards said trail lighting costs about “$12,000 a month” and that some events, such as FreedomFest, rely on private funding and police-service fees of roughly “$20,000 to $30,000” for officer costs.

Children, youth and families: Multiple speakers asked the council to approve funding for the mayor’s Office of Children, Youth and Families in FY26. John Kenny, an advocate and organizer, said the office “brings in more than $960,000 in outside funding” and argued investments in early education and family supports “reduce crime rates, improve social cohesion, and cultivate the next generation of leaders.” Sam Robson, a North Tulsa native and Tulsa Public Schools graduate, and recent high-school graduate Isha Ariel also urged approval, saying the office would help students who face barriers to regular attendance and other out-of-school challenges.

Sustainability concerns: Nancy Moran urged the council to fully fund a sustainability planner for the city’s newly created sustainability task force. Moran raised concerns about rising retail electricity costs and water demand, and said data centers can consume “up to 5,000,000 gallons of drinking water per day” (stated during testimony) and called for city staff to map energy burden and expand tree canopy in heat islands.

Stormwater fee concerns: A resident identified in the speaker list as Beau Radley described long-term frustration with stormwater charges and provided examples of widely differing bills: he said his stormwater assessments had reached about “$565 a month,” that another resident saw a retroactive $7,000 adjustment that raised monthly fees to nearly $400, and that on his properties he was “paying more in stormwater fees than taxes.” He urged the council to at least table proposed increases so the city could review fee calculations and impacts.

Council action and votes: The council approved an appointment and multiple grouped budget and ordinance items during the meeting. Earlier in the agenda the council approved the appointment of Yasmin Nawabi to the Asian Affairs Commission (term to 01/01/2028). The council then approved mayor’s items 4 b through l with an emergency clause applied to 4 b through 4 k; later the council approved items 5 a and b (authority plat and rezoning items); and it approved a package of second-reading ordinances (items 7 a through s, excluding r) with emergency clauses on select items. Item 7 r (an ordinance amending rights-of-way occupancy management and fees) was then approved with the emergency clause; the transcript indicates Councilor Bridal planned to recuse on that item. The transcript shows affirmative roll-call responses from the councilors present on these motions.

Why it matters: The items the council acted on include budget amendments, transfers between water and sewer accounts, rate changes under consideration (stormwater and sewer-related rate language appears on the agenda), and program funding that speakers said could affect services in parks, schools and neighborhoods. River Parks Authority cautioned that cuts to operations could reduce mowing, lighting and restroom availability. Advocates argued the children’s office and a sustainability planner would leverage outside funds and help align city actions on energy, water and housing costs.

Next steps and follow-up: River Parks said its board will consider whether it can continue some events and services given funding changes. City staff will proceed with the budget amendments and ordinance codifications approved by the council; advocates asked councilors to ensure dedicated staffing for sustainability objectives and to consider city-level actions to address stormwater-fee impacts.