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Saving Our Homes program reports 108 tax payments and urges outreach before ARPA sunset
Summary
Lenora Enloe, project director for the Saving Our Homes initiative, told the council the city program has paid delinquent property taxes for 108 households, completed 58 education sessions and enrolled 42 people in financial counseling; she said $138,000 remained in the program budget as of March and urged a media outreach push before the ARPA‑funded contract sunsets June 30.
The Saving Our Homes initiative, a city program funded with ARPA dollars and led by the Tulsa Economic Development Corporation, has paid delinquent property taxes for 108 households, completed 58 education sessions and enrolled 42 participants in the Financial Empowerment Center, project director Lenora Enloe told the council. Enloe said the program also helped at least seven people begin clearing title and requires participants to attend an education session before assistance.
Enloe said the program’s award is “up to $4,000,” though a contract amendment allows staff to exceed that amount in certain circumstances. She told the council that ARPA rules prevent the program from paying taxes due in 2021 or earlier, which limits help for long‑standing tax debt. Enloe said the program began operating at scale about a year ago after contracting and startup delays.
Enloe summarized takeaways: the program has a $500,000 allocation, with about $138,000 remaining as of March; roughly 70% of spending has gone to property‑tax payments, 27% to salaries and 3% to marketing. The city also received a separate Invest North grant to cover some back taxes that ARPA could not pay, she said. Enloe said ARPA dollars must be spent legally by Dec. 31, 2026, and the program contract as configured suns out June 30; staff asked the council to consider how to extend or reallocate funds if there is intent to continue.
Council members and public commentators pressed for two policy changes: (1) facilitate monthly payment plans through the county treasurer to make property taxes easier for fixed‑income and low‑income households to pay, and (2) strengthen local legal capacity for title clearance. Enloe said Tulsa University’s legal clinic (TU Legal) helps clear title but has limited capacity and that the program refers clients to TU Legal and other nonprofits. Council members noted that only one county in the state permits monthly property‑tax payments and discussed HB2003 and state constraints; staff agreed to follow up with the county treasurer and state contacts on whether treasurers may accept installment plans.
Speakers described personal testimonials during the meeting: multiple residents thanked the program for paying late taxes and keeping them in their homes. Enloe and council members said media outreach generates the largest number of applicants and asked for assistance to publicize remaining funds so they can be expended before the contract sunset.
Council members asked staff to provide more data on applicant geography and program outcomes; Enloe said the program collects city and address data and has a map identifying areas of concentrated need (she noted North Tulsa and West Tulsa as areas with high rates of tax‑loss). Council members also discussed possible next steps: a media push to exhaust remaining funds, exploring a long‑term payment plan model with the county or a nonprofit escrow arrangement to accept monthly payments, and identifying sustainable funding sources if the council wants to continue the program beyond the current contract.
No formal council vote on funding or contract extension was recorded in the meeting transcript.
