By KWGS News/National Weather Service
Tulsa, OK – Earlier today, Mayor Dewey Bartlett announced he signed two Memorandums of Understanding for a savings of about $566,000 that would allow the City to retain 27 Tulsa police officers through the end of the year. Due to four resignations from the police force this afternoon, four additional officers will return to the police force, which now rescinds a total of 31 lay off notices.
Police officers were scheduled to turn in their equipment today as part of citywide cuts, including workforce reductions. The MOU's signed Thursday were in reference to the take home cars outside the city limits and the process in which the Tulsa Police Department uses compensatory time. The officers affected are being notified and told to report to their next regularly scheduled shift.
Mayor Bartlett included the MOUs as part of his no-layoff proposal to the Fraternal Order of Police. If the proposal had been approved, the MOUs would have been in effect for 18 months. Now, the two MOUs will only be effective for the remainder of fiscal year 2010, which ends on June 30.
Mayor Bartlett said he also has asked Interim Chief Chuck Jordan to evaluate the specifics of the federal Justice Assistance Grant to recommend how the grant should be used.
"I am glad we are able to rescind these layoffs based on these savings for the rest of the year. There certainly was an opportunity to save more jobs through our no-layoff proposal to the union," Bartlett said. In the coming weeks, I look forward to meeting with officers face-to-face individually and in squad meetings to discuss current issues of the City and local law enforcement, to hear their ideas and also make our goals and objectives clear.
"I want to thank all members of the Tulsa police force for their dedication and top quality service to this community."