By Associated Press
Tulsa, OK – City council demands meeting with mayor
TULSA, Okla. (AP) Tulsa city councilors have demanded to speak directly to Mayor Kathy Taylor rather than hearing from her staff or through media reports about a $3.5 million federal stimulus grant awarded to the city to hire 18 police officers.
The council's statements on Tuesday follow Taylor's appearance over the weekend on CNN and in other media interviews, in which she accused councilors of "playing politics" with the stimulus money.
If accepted by the council, it would pay for the 18 officers' salaries and benefits for three years. But the city would have to pay for their equipment, training and at least a fourth year of employment.
City officials estimate it will cost about $850,000 to equip the new officers and $1.25 million for their fourth-year salaries.
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Information from: Tulsa World, http://www.tulsaworld.com/
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.