The men say they weren't even thanked for returning $11,000.

Three city of Tulsa employees say they feel slighted by the lack of recognition they received after retrieving a stolen safe containing thousands of dollars in cash, jewelry and blank checks.

While working on a water line in Spavinaw on New Year's Eve, city employees Berl Cox, 62, Chad Millburm, 30, and Nealyn Buckingham, 21, noticed a safe on the side of the road. The three are all raw water supply workers.

The safe was stolen from MidFirst Bank at 43rd Street and Peoria Avenue after thieves broke through a wall Dec. 17, during last month's ice storm.

No one has been arrested in the theft and there aren't any new details, said Tulsa Police Sgt. Greg Matthews.

"If any new information is made available, we will look into it further," he said.

When the city workers found the safe, it contained $11,000, multiple watches, several bags of blank travelers checks, credit cards and bank records, Cox said.

The city crew then notified authorities, who returned the stolen property to the bank.

However, the men claim they have never received a "thank you" or a financial reward for returning the unmarked cash.

"Nobody in the city of Tulsa has said: 'What great employees we have, good job, guys; we have quality guys working for us,' " said Cox, a 36-year city employee.

Cox said they never asked to receive a financial award from the bank, even though it would be nice.

"We did the right thing. . . . No one even knew that we were out there and we (still) kept the money secure," Cox said.

"I feel a little under appreciation," he said. "That's the way I feel and my men feel," said Cox, a supervisor.

Millburm, 30, hired by the city in 1999, agrees.

"We did the right thing, but are the other people doing the right thing? That's my question to the bank," Millburm said.

"I'm not asking for anything. If someone found my money, I would at least give them common courtesy," he said.

Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor showed her appreciation for the city crew Friday, more than a month after the safe was stolen.

"City of Tulsa employees are the most dedicated I have ever seen," Taylor said in a prepared statement.

"I am proud of all of our city employees; they work hard every day to take care of the citizens of Tulsa."

MidFirst officials said the men were recently thanked for returning the money and items.

"Our regional bank manager personally thanked them," said Daniel Adams, first vice president of MidFirst Bank.

He said he wasn't sure when the manager contacted the city crew, but said it may have been last week.

Adams also said the bank recently contacted Taylor's office about possibly rewarding the three workers.

"We've been in communication with the mayor about a financial award," Adams said.

However, Cox said the bank told them that they weren't sure if they could give financial rewards to city employees.

Taylor didn't address the status of city employees being financially rewarded in her statement.

"A whole lot of people have done less and got more recognition," Cox said.

Deon Hampton 581-8413
deon.hampton@tulsaworld.com