Oklahoma Department Of Labor Closing Tulsa Office

The Tulsa office of the Oklahoma Department of Labor will be closing in June.  State Labor Commissioner Mark Costello confirmed the closure Tuesday, citing budget constraints.

Department spokesperson Liz McNeil said Costello was in Tulsa Tuesday to make the announcement to the staff and answer their questions.

McNeil says state legislative leaders have told state agencies that receive federal funds to expect funding cuts of up to 25 percent as federal officials work to cut spending.

"We have only seven unique visitors a week to our Tulsa offices, and we realize that we can service those people more effectively by using resources in a centralized manner, and that's what we're going to do," said Mark Costello.

The Labor Department began planning to close the office four months ago.

There are 14 employees at the Tulsa office and McNeil says they are all being offered voluntary buyouts or jobs at the Oklahoma Department of Labor's Oklahoma City offices.

The department's office is located in the state office complex at 440 South Houston in downtown Tulsa.  

The Associated Press contributed to this report.