After Weekend Of Meetings, More Changes Coming To Tulsa Vision Plan

The city of Tulsa's Vision plan is getting a new look that's likely to pare down some projects.

A marathon of meetings started Friday, went through the weekend and continued Monday over changes to the Vision program.

The city task force working on the Vision plan reached an impasse Thursday in public. Now they're working in small groups, in private, to rearrange the package.

Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett said, “Had a lot of discussion over the weekend to talk about it.”

He said it’s going to mean cuts for some projects to prevent a tax increase.

Bartlett said, "If we're going to make room for the county, we have to have a discussion about lessening or changing some of the projects we've already agreed to."

County commissioners have their own Vision vote coming for roads and parks, and they're counting on the City paying for work at the fairgrounds.

1/21/2016 Related Story: City Officials Experience Difficulty Settling On Vision Tax Package

“The people in the room that agreed to the $35 million at Expo Square included the mayor, city councilors, and representatives of the Chamber of Commerce, and we walked out of that room saying we have an agreement,” said Tulsa County Commissioner, Rob Peters.

The city's leaders discussed trimming the fairgrounds list but also just cutting other projects to make room.

One idea was to pull out money for public safety for a separate vote to keep Vision limited to new projects.

Peters said, "Taking public safety operating funds out of Vision kills future Vision packages, so making it a separate vote is a good thing."

For the mayor, a tax increase is off the table, and so is a separate vote on public safety.

"If it is it won't be my idea. It has to be part of the package; it's what everybody wants," Bartlett said.

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But the councilors on the task force plan to vote on separating public safety. It would mean three sales tax votes on April 5th - public safety, streets and transit - the other vote for economic projects like the river and Gilcrease.