TULSA, Okla. — The Muscogee (Creek) Nation and the City of Tulsa held a special meeting to discuss ongoing collaboration efforts, even as Gov. Kevin Stitt has filed to block their jurisdictional agreement.
Leaders from both governments sat down to collaborate on multiple topics, including jurisdiction, housing, healthcare and mental health partnerships.
The meeting comes after Stitt asked the Supreme Court to block Tulsa's agreement with the Muscogee Nation, which was signed earlier this year. The agreement stated that tribal members cited with a municipal case must be tried by the Muscogee (Creek) Nation court if the incident occurred on Indian land in Tulsa.
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"There was another filing by the governor, so that kind of limits what I can share with the group," said Amanda Swope, the city's director of tribal policy.
Swope said a new working group for the settlement held its first meeting the same day the governor filed to stop the agreement.
"Topics at that first meeting focused on the technical aspects of cooperative law enforcement and what that can look like," Swope said.
The group already has someone from law enforcement, three deputy chiefs, Chief Larson, Chief Phillips and Captain Fish from Muscogee Nation.
Focus on community needs:
Despite the legal challenge, both groups focused on collaborating on housing, healthcare and mental health partnerships.
"Because at the end of the day, it's how are we improving quality of life for the people we represent," said Lori Decter Wright, Tulsa City Council member for District 7.
Decter Wright said housing is a significant need not only for the tribes, but for Tulsa as a whole. The tribe has about 120 citizens on an affordable housing waiting list with no rental properties available in the Tulsa area.
"How do we transition into a place where we have enough housing to support people as they want to age in place and take care of their physical and mental health needs and just community needs, transportation, those kinds of things," Decter Wright said.
Healthcare workforce development:
The city and tribe share a goal to ensure everyone's healthcare needs are met, maintain safety, and create jobs for years to come. One approach involves training the next generation of healthcare workers.
"Buy a teaching console so that our academic partners with OU and OSU when they bring students here, they can bring in surgical residents, and they can learn on these robotic surgeries," said Shawn Terry, secretary of health at Council Oak.
"They can come right here and do their work right here for the people that they want to serve," Decter Wright said.
"And so, we have always come from that focus of serving people, and that we take our oath very seriously to protect the health, safety, and welfare of everyone that we represent," she said.
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