City, mayor's office present budget framework centered on homelessness, public safety, jobs and children

Tulsa City Council members and mayoral staff presented a condensed action plan March 5 that they say will guide legislative and budget decisions for fiscal year 2025–26, centering on four priorities: homelessness, public safety, economic development and children, youth and families.

The plan, developed after a January mayor–council retreat, breaks each priority into a set of proposed actions, target dates and responsible departments while noting several items lack identified funding and will compete for resources in the budget process. The mayor’s office and council staff said the document is a framework to inform committee hearings and department budget proposals.

Why it matters: councilors will use the package to set budget priorities and to decide which proposals receive one‑time or recurring support. Staff emphasized the document is a draft and that departments will need to return specific cost estimates and implementation plans before the council approves funding.

The homelessness bucket groups actions into three “buckets”: decommissioning encampments and a coordinator to manage that work; increasing housing supports such as vouchers and preapproved plans to speed new units; and upstream prevention programs. The presentation flagged winter‑weather sheltering capacity as a short‑term operational need, and staff noted the city must build “programming at each stage” so a placement off the street leads to a permanent housing solution.

Public safety items include restructuring, stronger animal‑welfare investigative capacity, and continued emphasis on police recruitment and retention. At the retreat staff recorded $6.5 million in pilot initiatives for fines and fees programs funded with ARPA and CRF dollars; staff said any recurring costs from successful pilots will require local funding decisions in the budget process. The mayor’s office also said it will research national benchmarks related to city safety goals.

Economic development actions focus on removing internal process barriers inside City Hall, increasing access to infrastructure and GIS mapping to show where investments would unlock housing or commercial projects, and preparing for the Route 66 centennial events in 2026. Council members pushed for more nimbleness on capital timing so private developers can build when market demand exists rather than waiting years for planned city infrastructure.

The “children, youth and families” priority centers on the newly proposed Office of Children, Youth and Families and a children’s cabinet to coordinate partners and philanthropic support. That office is expected to be staffed through a combination of city funding and outside contracts; the mayor’s office indicated additional private philanthropic dollars are expected to support community programs.

Shane, a mayor’s office staff member who led the presentation, summarized the policy approach as “aim[ing] to finish what we started and focus city efforts on the priorities while maintaining a balance of our revenue and expenses.” The council asked departments for more granular resource needs and pressed staff to identify which proposals require one‑time versus ongoing revenue.

Next steps: staff said departments will return precise budget requests and savings options to the mayor’s office in mid‑April. Councilors were invited to schedule one‑on‑one briefings with administration staff on items of particular interest.

Ending: The retreat framework will be distributed in revised form after staff makes minor adjustments and will inform committee hearings and the formal budget the council receives later this spring.