TULSA, Okla. — The Tulsa firefighter union is criticizing the mayor’s unwillingness to consider a dedicated public safety tax.
Last week, a citizen-led Public Safety Task Force recommended the tax to help increase funding for city first responders, according to Tulsa World.
Mayor Dewey Bartlett rejected the motion and said he “wasn’t interested at looking at a dedicated public safety tax right now.”
Union officials say Bartlett is being “short-sighted” and ignoring responders’ “hard work.”
“I’d feel much more comfortable looking at efficiencies that can be made, resource allocations and slowly growing our manpower as we can afford to do so,” Bartlett said.
Tulsa Firefighters Local 176 President Chad Miller told the paper, though, that having the tax would allow for consistent proper staffing and resources and avoid the need for budget cuts.
The task force also pointed out that more money would be need to up the number of responders in Tulsa to meet national averages.