OWASSO, Okla. — County leaders reached back into the community for a rare town hall hosted by District 1 Commissioner Stan Sallee on May 29 inside a quaint atmosphere at Trails End BBQ.
A notable update given was the undertaking of the new county courthouse.
- Previous coverage >>> Tulsa County Courthouse construction noise delays jury trials
"It's a $28 million investment," Sallee said to attendees. "We did contemplate maybe doing a bond issue. It's something that I wasn't comfortable with- raising your taxes."
Updates also came from County Clerk Michael Willis, who advertised the county's transparency in displaying all expenses on its website.
"If you're ever interested in digging into county finances, it is all there and ready for you," Willis said. "You can go as deep or as shallow as you want."
WATCH: Tulsa County leaders give updates in unique town hall
Sheriff Vic Regalado was there to reiterate what he calls an urgent need to expand mental health and drug treatment to those at the county jail.
"We want to start that therapy. We wanna start that treatment," Sheriff Regalado said. "But we need to hand it off to organizations outside of the jail so they can continue treatment for substance abuse and mental health. And that's simply not happening on the scale that it needs to be."
Regalado also wanted to clarify the sheriff's office's agreement with ICE to temporarily detain people at the jail.
The sheriff is named in a lawsuit recently covered by 2 News anchor Erin Christy about the handling of a man detained by ICE without charges.
"I can tell you that is right here in Tulsa, Oklahoma, people have gotten their due process," he said. "And as far as I know, no one has ever been scooped up and immediately deported, because they'd come to my jail first. So I would know."
Of the people who could fit inside, former Tulsa City Council candidate Susan Frederick told 2 News she's glad she could meet with the county leaders.
"That way, your questions get answered and there's no issues as far as communication," Frederick said.
Commissioner Sallee is planning more town halls in his district, according to the county. The other two county commissioners are considering the same in their districts.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere --
- Download our free app for Apple, Android and Kindle devices.
- Sign up for daily newsletters emailed to you
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- Watch LIVE 24/7 on YouTube
