The Oklahoma Eagle Newswire
Mayor G.T. Bynum and Tulsa County Commissioner Ron Peters announced the formation of the City-County Parks Realignment Commission to identify duplication within the City and County parks systems and potentially align services.
“When it comes to any service provider in our community, I don’t believe Tulsans necessarily care who provides the service, they just want the service to work efficiently and flawlessly,” Mayor G.T. Bynum said. “The same concept is true when it comes to City and County parks services, which is the primary motivation for evaluating this prospect.”
The Commission will be composed of several committed parks experts and supporters to look at the possibility of merging park functions for the benefit of the community. The Commission is expected to present a final recommendation in summer 2018.
“The purpose of this Commission is to identify efficiencies in both parks systems so we can provide an improved service to the citizens we all serve,” Tulsa County Commissioner Ron Peters said. “We believe the benefits could be substantial for both the County and City and we look forward to exploring different areas of collaboration in the future.”
Bynum added, “We have seen how City-County authorities work when it comes to our Health Department, our Library System and the River Parks Authority. Now, we want to have a public and transparent review of a potential merger of aspects of our parks systems into one healthy, accessible, well-maintained system that can endure for future generations of Tulsans.”
City-County Parks Realignment Commission
Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum
Tulsa County Board of Commissioners Chairman Ron Peters
Tulsa City Council Chairwoman Anna America
Howard Barnett, OSU-Tulsa President
Betty Box, Tulsa County Park Board Chair
Teresa Burkett, City of Tulsa Park Board Chair
Sherry Laskey, North Tulsa Community Coalition Vice-Chair
Dick Sherry, Parks Volunteer
Terry Young, Former Tulsa Mayor & Former Tulsa County Commissioner
