How Tulsa is run
Who runs Tulsa, what it costs, and where your money goes
The city manager, council pay, the budget, your property tax bill and who provides each service, from Tulsa's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 11, 2026.
Who runs Tulsa
The elected mayor heads the city government and appoints its top administrator and department heads. The council passes laws, adopts the budget and sets the tax rate.
What they are paid
Tulsa city staff
4,332 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 1,218, Fire 752, Water and Sewer 744, Public Works 502. FY2025. Number of city employees in FY2025 from the ACFR statistical section, which takes it from the annual budget. City of Tulsa · Dec 17, 2025
The city posts pay scales for each job group. We found no list of individual employees' pay. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Tulsa in the red?
Cities must pass a balanced budget, so "profit" and "deficit" mean something different here. The useful questions: does the city's everyday money (the general fund) cover its everyday costs, how much does it keep in savings compared with its own target, and how big are its pension and debt bills.
The city's own outlook
The FY2026-27 budget plans $445.1 million of general fund spending against $436.1 million of projected resources, using $8.9 million of fund balance. The five-year plan projects general fund revenue of $443.4 million in FY2027-28 and warns of slowing economic growth. City of Tulsa · Jun 17, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $63.6M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: The city keeps an emergency operating reserve equal to 10% of general fund revenues, set in each year's budget ordinance. It is held as committed fund balance ($28.0 million at June 30, 2025), separate from the unassigned balance. A separate Economic Stabilization Reserve, funded by a voter-approved sales tax, held $24.2 million. City of Tulsa · Dec 17, 2025
Why we skip the "budgeted deficit": many cities plan to dip into savings, then spend less than planned. The audited result tells you what really happened.
Where the money comes from and goes
The general fund only: the city's everyday money for FY2026-27.
Comes from
- Taxes$302M · 69%
- Transfers in$42.5M · 10%
- Miscellaneous$32.9M · 8%
- General government charges$16M · 4%
- Investment income$14.7M · 3%
- Licenses, permits and fees$12.9M · 3%
- Other (grants, fines and forfeitures)$15.2M · 3%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Public safety and protection$254M · 57%
- Administration$90M · 20%
- Transportation and public works$37.6M · 8%
- Culture and recreation$30.6M · 7%
- Social and economic development$22M · 5%
- Transfers to other funds$10.5M · 2%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Rates are per $1,000 of net assessed value. The city's general fund gets no property tax; the city levy only repays bonds.
14¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Tulsa
- Schools93.68 · 72%
- City of Tulsa (debt service)The city levies no operating property tax. Its levy pays for general obligation bonds.17.63 · 14%
- Tulsa County10.3 · 8%
- Tulsa City-County Library5.32 · 4%
- County health department2.58 · 2%
- Total (mills)129.51
2025 property tax rates for a home in the city of Tulsa (Tulsa County). City of Tulsa · Dec 17, 2025
Who provides your services
Not everything in Tulsa is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityCity of TulsaCity of Tulsa · Dec 17, 2025
- FireThe cityCity of TulsaCity of Tulsa · Dec 17, 2025
- Ambulance (EMS)Another agencyEmergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA)City of Tulsa · Dec 17, 2025
- WaterAnother agencyTulsa Metropolitan Utility AuthorityCity of Tulsa · Dec 17, 2025
- SewerAnother agencyTulsa Metropolitan Utility AuthorityCity of Tulsa · Dec 17, 2025
- Public transitAnother agencyMetropolitan Tulsa Transit AuthorityCity of Tulsa · Dec 17, 2025
- ParksThe cityCity of TulsaCity of Tulsa · Dec 17, 2025
Compared with similar cities
The cities in this state closest in population that we cover. Read it for scale, not as a ranking: cities provide different services.
| Per city | YukonOK | BartlesvilleOK | LawtonOK | TulsaOK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 27,615 | 38,278 | 90,503 | 416,209 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $202,000 | Not confirmed | $227,157 | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $32,000 |
| General fund per resident | $1,399 | $1,113 | $987 | $1,069 |
| Debt per resident | $1,122 | $1,475 | $3,769 | $1,882 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $739 | $606 | $909 | $877 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | — | 10.5 | 9.3 | 10.4 |
Figures as shown in each city's section, divided by its population. Years differ by state, and pension figures are measured differently in each state (each city page says how).
What Tulsa publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineWe found no posted contract for City Administrator Mike Miller. The city posts only the job's pay grade, EX-80. City of Tulsa · Jun 24, 2026
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineCouncil minutes list each councilor's Yea or Nay on every roll call. City of Tulsa · Sep 23, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineCouncil meeting videos and agendas are archived on TGOV's Granicus site. Minutes are posted with council documents. TGOV · Oct 11, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe city's elected officials pay schedule lists City Councilor pay at $32,000 a year and the Mayor at $190,000. City of Tulsa · Apr 5, 2026
- Partly: Employee pay publishedPay scales for each job group are posted. We found no list of individual employees' pay. City of Tulsa · Oct 11, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026-27 budget plans $445.1 million of general fund spending against $436.1 million of projected resources. How will the $8.9 million gap be closed in later years?
- The city's share of firefighter pension debt was $211.0 million at June 30, 2025, the largest of its three pension plans. What is the plan to reduce it?
- City bonds totaled $783.4 million at June 30, 2025, and the city levies 17.63 mills of property tax to repay them. How much new bond borrowing is planned, and how would it change that levy?
- The City Administrator job pays between $162,287.58 and $302,742.18 a year. Will the city post the administrator's actual salary?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The mayor presented the proposed budget on April 22, 2026. The council held public hearings on May 20 and June 3, 2026, and approved the FY2026-27 budget on June 17, 2026. See who is running for council
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