Departments
Welcome to the City of Tulsa's departments section. Here you will find out about each department within the City of Tulsa and its purpose.
Airport Operations
Mission Statement:
Airport Operations provides a safe, efficient, self-supporting airport system for Tulsa.
Tulsa International Airport is conveniently located just ten minutes northeast of downtown Tulsa and is accessible by major interstates and highways that lead to the airport. It is served by ten scheduled passenger carriers and several charter carriers, which combined offer national and international non-stop or connecting flights via 168 scheduled departures and arrivals daily from a modern 22-gate terminal facility.
The airport serves more than 5 million passengers and visitors annually, originating from an air service area that encompasses 61 counties in a four-state region. Located on the airport's 4,000-acre complex are more than 100 firms including aerospace/aviation manufacturers, aircraft and engine maintenance and engineering operations, passenger and cargo air carriers, air freight facilities, aviation education training institutions, military aviation installations, government agencies, and other aerospace/aviation-related firms.
Tulsa International Airport is widely recognized as a major contributor to the economic growth of northeast Oklahoma. The airport's aerospace complex employs more than 14,000 people and contributes over $2 billion annually to the local economy. Major employers at the airport include the American Airlines Maintenance and Engineering Center, Sabre System, and Boeing North America.
Richard L. Jones, Jr. (Riverside) Airport, lying southwest of the city, serves as a general aviation airport. It primarily serves private aircraft and also has a large flight school. Airports Online
Communications Department
Mission Statement:
To facilitate open and accountable access to City government for the citizens of Tulsa and assist in communicating the Mayor’s prioritized initiatives regarding education, public safety and economic development.
The Department of Communications consists of Community Affairs and the Mayor’s Action Center.
The primary functions of the Department include:
• Provide open, honest access to city government to the media and general public. To be accountable to the media and the public for accurate and timely information.
• Support and communicate the priorities of the Administration.
• Improve external communications with the public by facilitating a greater understanding of city government’s activities and services.
• Improve internal communications between departments and between the City’s public information officers through regular meetings and forums of shared information and through a more seamless communication of issues gathered by the Mayor’s Action Center.
Development Services
To provide dependable, cost effective, high-quality customer services to assist the public in achieving
their construction development goals without compromising the ordinances of the City of Tulsa. Development Services online
Convention Center
Mission Statement:
To provide professional management to administer, operate, market and maintain facilities for the presentation and enjoyment of events involving entertainment, education, culture, sports, religion, banquets, dances and conventions. The Tulsa Convention Center has been designed and constructed to encourage economic development for Tulsa through the accommodation of conventions and trade shows and to provide for visitors and citizens of Tulsa a public assembly facility which is operated efficiently and effectively for the presentation of a wide range of events.
The Tulsa Convention Center (TCC), contains 227,000 square-feet of exhibit and meeting space, a 102,600 square-foot, column-free Exhibit Hall, an 8,900-seat Arena, 23 meeting and banquet rooms and a 20,000 square-foot Conference Hall with walls which easily convert to seven separate meeting rooms. The TCC is the largest convention center in Oklahoma and hosts a number of local, regional and national conventions, meetings and seminars. Convention Center online
Equipment Management
Mission Statement:
To serve Tulsa's citizens by supporting all City departments in the performance of their responsibilities with quality and cost-effective maintenance, repair, and operational services to ensure maximum utilization of the City's equipment.
The Equipment Management Department (EMD) provides a centralized maintenance program for City vehicles and equipment. This program provides regular preventive maintenance as well as any unscheduled repair. The department also coordinates repair work contracted to outside commercial vendors.
Finance Department
Mission Statement:
To provide centralized public financial services in accordance with established financial policies.
The Department of Finance provides centralized public financial functions for the City of Tulsa through six divisions; Administration, Budget and Planning, Treasury, Purchasing, Accounting and City Clerk. Budget and Reports online
Fire Department
Mission Statement:
To protect community, life, health, property and the environment by delivering quality life and fire safety services.
The Tulsa Fire Department, under the leadership of Chief Allen LaCroix, strives to emphasize fire prevention and public education as the first point of a comprehensive community fire safety program. The second goal is to minimize the impact of fires when they do occur. The department's third goal is to reduce as much as possible the impact of environmental and emergency medical incidents, along with other calls for service from the community. Fire Department online
Gilcrease Museum
Mission Statement:
To educate the public through programs and exhibitions of the museum's collection of artifacts, documents, and works of art representing the cultures of the Americas.
The Thomas Gilcrease Institute of American History and Art, better known as the Gilcrease Museum, was sold to the City of Tulsa in 1954 by Thomas Gilcrease. The mission of the museum is to preserve, interpret, and exhibit his collection of art, artifacts, documents and books. This Collection which contains more than 400,000 items, includes such objects as paintings and bronzes by Charles M. Russell and Frederic Remington, a letter dated 1512 from Christopher Columbus to his superiors in Spain, and the Bedford Mound beaver pipe which dates back to 200 A.D. NOTE: Gilcrease Museum is now operated through a public-private partnership with the University of Tulsa.
Grants Administration
Mission Statement:
The mission of Grants Administration is to provide coordination and oversight for the City of Tulsa’s grants administration process.
The Department of Grants Administration (DGA) was created by Executive Order 2008-03 effective March 31, 2008. During FY 2008, two departments were restructured (Economic Development and Real Estate Management and Working in Neighborhoods), and positions were shifted to the DGA. The DGA provides oversight, develops administration processes and secures grant programs designed to leverage city and community resources for the overall benefit of the City of Tulsa. This department is primarily funded by Federal Grants. Grants online
Human Resources
Mission Statement:
To provide well-qualified and trained employees who meet work force requirements and are selected and treated in a fair and consistent manner, incorporating Equal Employment Opportunity practices, equitable compensation and benefits, and a safe and healthy work environment.
The Human Resources Department's major areas of responsibility include; employment, employee insurance, retirement, workers' compensation, medical services, employee relations, city wide training and safety programs, affirmative action, and grievance administration. Jobs online
Human Rights
Mission Statement:
To promote and protect the equal opportunity and human rights of persons in Tulsa against discrimination due to their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, or familial status through advisory, monitoring, and enforcement services.
The Human Rights Department has three divisions to administer its programs; Administration, which coordinates the activities of the department, monitors its budget and provides policy guidance, Compliance-Investigations, which is responsible for the coordination and investigation of alleged violation of discrimination laws, and the Voluntary Programs division which is charged with informing elected officials, the Human Rights Commission, and the public about human rights issues.
Human Rights online
Internal Auditing
Mission Statement:
The official duties of the City's elected officials are stated in the City Charter. The City Auditor is responsible for reviewing and commenting on all aspects of city operations.
The City Auditor is responsible for examining the City's financial activities and administering an internal auditing program. The City Auditor's staff prepares an audit plan for each calendar year.
Legal Department
Mission Statement:
To provide ethical, trustworthy, competent, and cost-effective legal services to the City of Tulsa and its elected officials, officers, employees, agencies, boards and authorities.
The City of Tulsa is represented by its City Attorney and the Legal Department for all necessary municipal legal services, including the litigation to which it is a party and in all claims and controversies affecting the City. The department prepares ordinances, resolutions, executive orders and contracts, and reviews bonds, certificates of insurance and other legal documents of legal significance to the City. Ordinances online
Mayor's Office
Mission Statement:
The official duties of the City's elected officials are stated in the City Charter. The Mayor is responsible for the administration of all City departments.
The Mayor is the chief executive officer of the City. In this capacity, the Mayor has all executive and administrative powers conferred on the City by the State Constitution and the laws of Oklahoma. The Mayor is not a member of the City Council. Office of the Mayor
Municipal Courts
Mission Statement:
To provide justice to the public through fair, responsive and courteous services as defined by law.
The Municipal Court of Tulsa is one of two municipal courts of record in Oklahoma. The Court handles city ordinance violations, traffic cases, and misdemeanor offenses, and provides probation services. The Municipal Court has five divisions; Administrative, Court Operations, Public Defender, Court Services, and Dispute Resolution Services through Early Settlement. Courts online
Office of the City Council
Mission Statement:
The City Council is vested with all legislative powers of the City of Tulsa, except for the rights of initiative and referendum which are reserved to the people of Tulsa. In addition, the City Council shall exercise such other powers as delegated by the amended City Charter or delegated by the Constitution or the laws of Oklahoma.
The duties and responsibilities of the Tulsa City Council are detailed in the City Charter. They include: the enactment of ordinances; the approval of the City's annual operating and capital budgets; setting City policy; City Charter review; approval of most mayoral appointments to authorities, boards and commissions; and investigations as to the efficiency, economy and effectiveness of administrative practices, methods, systems and controls.
The City Council normally meets weekly on Thursday, at 6:00 P.M., in the Francis Campbell City Council Room, located next to City Hall on the plaza level. In addition, the City Council holds standing committee meetings most Tuesdays in Room 201 (2nd Floor), City Hall. For meeting agendas and other information, visit the City Council's website.
Parks & Recreation
Mission Statement:
To provide services and facilities viewed by the citizens as highly valued investments in their daily lives. To improve quality of life, we will provide Tulsa citizens and the surrounding region the highest level of measured customer satisfaction by meeting their recreational, educational, and cultural needs and desires.
The Park and Recreation Department, with oversight from the Park Board, manages 5,987 acres of land, which includes 128 parks, 20 community centers, 23 swimming pools, 23 spray pools, four golf courses, the Oxley Nature Center, the Redbud Valley Nature Center, the Tulsa Zoo and Living Museum and maintains the Greenwood Cultural Center. Tulsa Parks online
Performing Arts Center
Mission Statement:
To provide professional management to administer, operate, market, and maintain the Tulsa Performing Arts Center for the presentation and enjoyment of entertainment, educational, and cultural events.
Opened in 1977, the Performing Arts Center (PAC) was designed with a special emphasis on staging, lighting, and acoustic conductivity. The PAC is known as the cultural apex of Tulsa. It houses four separate performance areas in one building; a 2,367-seat music hall with orchestra, mezzanine, and balcony levels, a 437-seat proscenium theatre and two studio theaters. the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, Tulsa Opera, Tulsa Ballet, American Theatre Company, Theatre Tulsa, Theatre North, and Tulsa Town Hall all call the Performing Arts Center home. National touring companies and other local community groups use the facilities. PAC online
Planning Department
To assist Tulsans in improving their lives, neighborhoods and community. Planning online
Police Department
Mission Statement:
To create an atmosphere of safety and security in the community by providing a continuation of proactive police service to all citizens.
The Tulsa Police department has 766 uniformed officers and 167 civilian positions. Most personnel are organized into four bureaus; Operations, Investigations, Management and Administrative.
The Operations Bureau comprises the Uniform Division East, Uniform Division North, Uniform Division Southwest, and the areas of Support and the Special Operations Units. The patrol junctions are assigned to this bureau.
The Police Department also operates several specialized units, such as the bomb squad, the dive team, special operations team, the canine and mounted patrol unit, and the Tulsa Police Reserve. In addition they operate several investigative task forces. Tulsa Police online
Public Works and Development
Mission Statement:
To provide dependable, cost effective, high-quality customer services and emergency response in water, wastewater, stormwater, solid waste disposal, streets, transportation, public property, and engineering.
To build a strong, positive public image.
To create and promote a safe, productive work environment by effectively using all financial, human and material resources.
The Public Works and Development Department is responsible for planning, constructing, operating, maintaining and managing city streets, water, wastewater, stormwater, solid waste, engineering, public property, and related customer and development services. Public Works Services online
Information Technology
Mission Statement:
Develop an enterprise focused department to consolidate, interface, and unify the various software systems and hardware platforms, working with teams from the private and public sectors to analyze the City’s business processes, present/implement recommendations that will improve communications between citizens and the City, and streamline City services/processes by using Information Technology best practices and standards.
Services provided by Information Technology include; Public Safety Communications, which manages the E-911 system, serving the City, Tulsa County, and other jurisdictions with call handling and dispatching functions; Network Services, which is responsible for all voice systems, the City-wide Network, Local Area Networks, E-Mail, and personal computer support and office automation; Radio Services which supports all radio communications throughout the City and County, maintains all vehicular electronic equipment and emergency warning systems, and manages all radio and frequency issues; and Information Services, which provides applications development, mainframe/co-located computer operations, systems integration, disaster recovery, consulting, various technical services, and all city-wide office services, including reproduction, mail, supplies and records management. Click here to return to the top.