Tulsa committee reviews sinking-fund judgments, alley and easement closures and a driveway license request

The Tulsa Public Works Committee on an unspecified date discussed several administrative items including resolutions to use the city's sinking fund to pay court judgments, requests to close parts of public ways and easements for private development, a license agreement for a custom driveway at 6310 South Richmond Avenue, and a deferred request to declare property at 1620 East 12th Street surplus.

The discussion matters because the committee's recommendations affect city finances and property owners' ability to develop or clear title. Committee staff said sinking-fund payments are available to cover judgments, while Public Works staff described steps taken to relocate utilities or clear easements to allow building permits.

Treasury Division staff said the committee will be asked to authorize sinking-fund payments for multiple court judgments. "We are adequately positioned, for all 3 cases, to pay them, in accordance with how we generally pay from the sinking fund," Treasury Division staff member Chad Becker said. Becker also reported that "the sinking fund balance is 53,700,000 as of today." He said, however, that final payment from the sinking fund requires council approval and that finance will file paperwork with Tulsa County to levy repayment to the sinking fund over a three-year period.

Assistant City Attorney Cameron Takmeel described one judgment that stemmed from a motor-vehicle collision in which a police vehicle entered an intersection without lights and sirens and struck the plaintiff's car. "The officer was responding to a call, but didn't have their lights and sirens activated when they entered the intersection and collided with the plaintiff's vehicle," Takmeel said. Takmeel said the city was at fault and that about $25,000 of the settlement compensated property damage and roughly $3,000 addressed medical bills.

Two other related judgments grew from a sewer overflow that investigators later tied to a defect that partially obstructed the line. Takmeel said the obstruction reduced capacity by about 60 percent and, combined with wet weather, caused an overflow that affected two neighboring houses at 4163 East 46th Street and 4171 East 46th Street. He said the Owens (Christopher and Kelly Owen) had to relocate temporarily because of medical concerns affecting a household member; the Coles (identified in the record as the property owners at the adjacent address) were unable to rehabilitate their residence because of the damage and regulatory requirements tied to a foster child who was removed temporarily.

Public Works staff presented several right-of-way items. An ordinance request would close a portion of an alley at 311 North North Boulder Avenue to allow future development after the city moved a sanitary sewer under City of Tulsa Project 2020-4. Paul Zachary of Public Works said the sewer line has been relocated and that staff received no objections from city authorities or private utilities, but that a public meeting is required because the alley had been open for more than five years.

Staff also presented requests to close a utility easement and an overland drainage easement (presented as separate items so each closure is considered on its own merits). Zachary said existing building encroachments and the needs of future development prompted those requests; he reported no objections from city staff or utilities.

A resolution to declare the property at 1620 East 12th Street surplus was discussed but deferred so asset management staff can attend a later meeting and provide more information.

On a separate agenda item, Public Works staff described a license agreement with Philip Butler for a patterned, dyed concrete driveway approach at 6310 South Richmond Avenue in the Livingston Park addition. Zachary said the agreement documents the property owner's responsibility to maintain specialty driveway materials and allows the city to revoke or require removal of nonconforming vertical elements if necessary. He said the current application fee for such agreements is about $1,000 to cover staff costs for contacting utility and stakeholder entities.

Committee members asked staff about related concerns, including whether neighborhoods with planned capital improvements or fiber upgrades should be flagged to help applicants decide whether to invest in specialty driveway treatments. Zachary said staff tries to flag utility conflicts and draws maps to inform applicants, but installation risks remain.

The committee did not record votes in the provided transcript excerpts. Several items were discussed for committee recommendation or informational purposes; the surplus-property item was deferred for a later appearance by asset-management staff. The committee record shows staff explanations, participant questions and technical details but no final committee votes in the available transcript segments.