TULSA, Okla. — Tulsans approved the Improve Our Tulsa 3 package in 2023, which included $5 million for District 1 neighborhoods Kirkpatrick Heights and Greenwood.
City Council voted to flip the management of the funds on May 13 however, from PartnerTulsa to Tulsa Economic Development Capital.
WATCH: Council approves reorganizing Improve Our Tulsa funds in North Tulsa
A lack of transparency and displacement was the concern Councilor Vanessa Hall-Harper raised, which prompted more than 20 different people to speak out in public hearings at the council meeting.
"Many residents have concerns regarding PartnerTulsa and the Greenwood Legacy Corporation because trust in our community has been broken before,” Darlene Hall said.
"This is what democracy looks like," Lana Turner-Addison of Greenwood Legacy Corporation said. "And diverting funds at this stage will send a devastating message that the city council cannot be trusted to uphold the will of its own voters."
Another outspoken critic was former city councilor Joe Williams.
"I want y'all to know you have legacies at stake," Williams said to the council. "Your legacies are at stake. This city made promises to African-Americans and to North Tulsans.”
PartnerTulsa meanwhile, said it was never supposed to make decisions on the funds.
"Decisions regarding proposed changes to Improve Our Tulsa 3 funding rest solely with the City Council, and PartnerTulsa supports allowing the appropriate governing bodies—and ultimately the people of Tulsa—to determine the best use of these resources. While we remain committed to the implementation of the master plan, PartnerTulsa never anticipated or desired to be a direct recipient or administrator of the $5 million referenced in the ordinance. We defer to the City's direction to ensure those funds are allocated toward plan priorities."
Councilors clarified that votes for the reallocation to TEDC will still fund improvements as originally intended and approved by voters.
"This amendment creates flexibility so the amendment can move forward not as a blank check and not as a benefit for one organization, but as a tool for broader public benefit," Councilor Lori Decter Wright said.
"I do take comfort in the fact that we are working with a tried and true organization," Councilor Phil Lakin said.
Council approved Hall-Harper's measure unanimously.
"We are not going outside the language and the intent of what the citizens voted on and what I voted on," Hall-Harper said just before the vote. "But I am adding an entity to the conversation and to the implementation that I trust that we can move forward and get these things done."
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