On the Issues: Police and fire take up 58 percent of the proposed General Fund for Fiscal Year 2014. Is that too much or does it need to be increased?
By Staff Reports on May 20, 2013, at 2:50 AM Updated on 5/20/13 at 7:00 AM
Every Monday through June 3, the Tulsa World will publish answers from Tulsa mayoral candidates on questions about major issues.
Dewey Bartlett
Current mayor (elected 2009)
Public Safety comprises 58 percent
of Tulsa’s budget because they are core
services and essential for Tulsa’s success.
City Hall should provide core services
which help make Tulsa safe, so
the private sector can grow our economy.
The important question is can
we do better and put police and firefighters
on the streets, and the answer is yes. Tulsa can
improve public safety, and put nearly 900 police on the
streets, and we can do it without raising taxes! My plan is
to repurpose the Four to Fix 0.167% tax to provide a dedicated
source for public safety and street maintenance.
Bill Christiansen
Former city councilor (2002-11)
Our Police and Fire departments are
staffed by dedicated men and women
who always put Tulsa and its citizens
first. The recent explosion of violent
and drug-related crime is endangering
our families and embarrassing our city.
This problem will be solved when fiscal
competence is restored to the Mayor’s
Office. We can and must find the money to fully fund
our public safety needs. The safety of our citizens and the
continued growth of our city demand it. The issue isn’t
the percentage of the budget committed to public safety
— it’s doing the right thing for Tulsa.
Kathy Taylor
Former Tulsa mayor (2006-2009)
That’s an artificial standard. We
shouldn’t look at quality of life issues
in percentages — we must ensure we
have what’s needed to keep our city
safe. To attract jobs and increase our
revenue base we need a safe city — to
achieve that we need data to know
how many officers are needed and
how to best deploy them. We must continue to seek and
implement ideas from city employees and citizens on
how to use funds wisely, partner with other governments
and businesses in innovative ways, and look at the budget
as a whole to reduce inefficiencies and duplication.
