Tulsa City Council Continues Talks On Stimulus Money

News On 6

TULSA, OK -- Some Tulsa City Councilors say they still don't agree with the mayor's plan to hire 18 new Tulsa Police officers with federal stimulus money.  Mayor Kathy Taylor and the Police Chief Ron Palmer presented their ideas to the council on Tuesday.

Some councilors are concerned about accepting $3.5 million in federal stimulus money.  The money would fund the officers' salaries for three years.  The city would then have to pick up the $1.3 million tab plus equiping the officers.

8/10/2009 Related story: Tulsa FOP Wants City To Accept Federal Grant

The mayor says the city can afford it because the police chief has a plan to slash the new officers' equipment costs by more than 50%.

"We aren't giving anybody junk. They'll have new weapons. They'll have new equipment that they'll wear. Their cars will be serviceable for a long while in the future. So, nobody's safety's going to suffer. We're not going to do that," said Tulsa Police Chief Ron Palmer.

Members of the Tulsa City Council say they're not ready to vote on the grant just yet.  They'll discuss the matter further in two weeks.