| Updated: 4/29/2009 10:26 pm |
Published: 4/29/2009 5:14 pm
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Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor is considering mandatory furloughs for all city employees as part of her new budget proposal. FOX23 investigative reporter Emily Sinovic has obtained emails Mayor Taylor sent to city employees and has confirmed both police and fire departments will be affected.
Emily confirmed with sources within the Tulsa Police Department and the Tulsa Fire Department that during negotiations at city hall, Mayor Kathy Taylor demanded those departments make mandatory cuts, that would only be possible through furloughs, part of their new contracts this year.
It was only after FOX23 pressed the Mayor’s office for information about possible furloughs, that Mayor Taylor sent emails to city councilors and then to all city employees. In the first she tells city councilors that FOX23’s investigation promped the emails.
She wrote:
"[City of Tulsa] Communications just received a call from FOX23 asking if we were recommending furlough days for employees in the budget. As I have discussed with each of you in our budget previews, this is one of the issues that we have been considering. Because I believe it is important for employees to hear about issues that impact them directly from me not from the media, I will be issuing an email to employees on the issue..."
Emily also obtained the email Mayor Taylor sent just moments later to all city employees. Again, she said FOX23 prompted her to send the email. She continued, writing the following:
