Tulsa’s public safety task force asks three departments about their capital needs a funding proposal may cover.
The fire department wants $20 million for the second phase of the fire training center and additional money for storage facilities and station renovations. Councilor G.T. Bynum said he wants to narrow the focus of the discussions.
"What we need are capital costs associated with the additional hires that are being contemplated," Bynum said. "Other things that are out there should be brought forward through the normal capital process that we go through about twice a decade."
The fire department is working with a consultant to come up with costs for its list of needs.
The Tulsa Police Department told city councilors adding officers comes with the cost of equipping them. That would include new vehicles, which run about $40,000 dollars each after computers and radios are installed.
Deputy Chief Jonathan Brooks said they’re also looking at body cameras as a possible capital expense.
"In fact, we're already doing the testing on various types of body cameras that will best fit our city and our agency and our officers — sized for our department," Brooks said.
Roy Teeters in the streets and storm water department told councilors they didn’t get rid of equipment as positions that used it were cut over the last decade.
"We kept it, and we've been taking care of it, hoping that we would get more personnel back," Teeters said. "It's really going to benefit us in the future with any safety package that comes. We just won't have to buy a lot of equipment."
Teeters said how much equipment they need depends on which funding proposal advances. He estimates the department would need just under $600,000 dollars toward equipment in the first year.
The council is currently considering two public safety funding proposals: two-tenths of a cent by Mayor Dewey Bartlett or four-tenths of a cent by Councilor Karen Gilbert.
