Tulsa Mayor Wants More Money For His Department

By Emory Bryan, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- Some Tulsa City councilors are upset Mayor Dewey Bartlett has asked for an increase in payroll for his staff. The increase is part of the proposed budget, but councilors say it won't be in the budget they approve.

Each mayor hires a staff, and while Mayor Bartlett's staff is smaller than Mayor Taylor's, he's asking the council for more money to run the office, in part because he's taking a salary.

While the Tulsa City Council begins a two month review of the budget, some councilors are angry that while every category of spending is down, one department, the Mayor's Office is so far, is asking for an increase.

The proposed budget that Mayor Bartlett presented to Council contained a $91,000 increase for the cost of his office staff.

"This is not a time for the mayor to increase the budget for his department," Rick Westcott, Tulsa City Councilor, said.  "This is the time the mayor needs to lead by example. He needs to decrease the budget for his department at least as much, if not more than, the other departments."

Every other department at city hall is taking a cut in the new budget. While the mayor's budget plan includes the increase, city councilors are being told it will be changed before it's time to approve the numbers.

"You need to lead by example and I applaud him that if that is the case he's going to cut his budget, I think that's a good leader, leading in a tough time," Chris Trail, Tulsa City Councilor, said.

The city's finance director says there's a simple explanation for why the mayor's budget numbers are up for the next fiscal year.

"It is different because there is a mayor's salary included in the budget" Mike Kier, Tulsa City Finance Director, said.

Mayor Taylor didn't take the $105,000 mayor's salary and Kier says that's money the city saved. It was not spent elsewhere in her office.

Bartlett's staff says an ongoing reorganization will likely move some employees from his budget to other departments, resulting in a budget decrease for the council to consider.

Moving employees from the mayor's budget to other departments wouldn't save the city any money, but it would satisfy the council's demand that his department take a cut.

At the same time, the mayor's office points out the city council has more people on the payroll and spends slightly more.

See Mayor Bartlett's staff salaries

Read Mayor Bartlett's Budget Proposal