The City of Tulsa’s Working In Neighborhoods department may stand to benefit if Mayor Dewey Bartlett’s public safety funding proposal becomes a reality.
City councilors asked department head Dwayne Midget which functions impact public safety.
"Such things as investigating nuisances, zoning complaints, dilapidated structures and demolition [or] rehab of these dilapidated structures, drug house investigation, property maintenance, livability standards and rehab of properties with livability standards, and animal welfare and control," Midget said.
He added animal control officers have important public safety responsibilities.
"We deal with control of diseases through the spread of rabies," Midget said. "We also take in reports from citizens on health care bites ... We'll confiscate those animals if we can find them, quarantine them at the time.
"Occasionally our officers have to go into private homes to deal with bats."
Midget said there are currently eight animal field officers, while optimal staffing would be 14 officers.
He also told councilors his staff has shrunk from 21 employees to 16 over the last few years.
