The City of Tulsa is coming up with an ordinance to send notices before a change in a street name.
Notifications are not required now. Councilor Jeannie Cue said she’s fielded complaints since Brady Street recently became Reconciliation Way and part of Delaware Avenue became Riverside Parkway.
"I just want to make sure we’re doing right by our citizens and not doing things that they find out later and then have to scramble around to make sure their Social Security, their Medicare, their retiree information gets to them," Cue said.
Cue would like to see notices sent out before the city changes a street name.
"But we must be mindful that these notification efforts would cost a lot of money. You’re talking about a lot of postage if we’re —" said Senior Assistant City Attorney Mark Swiney.
"We’re affecting their life," Cue said.
"Sure, but if people are going out and knocking on doors or hanging things on people’s doorknobs, that takes manpower, that takes printing costs," Swiney said.
Officials in the mayor's office are drafting an ordinance that would have the city send out notifications ahead of a street name change being approved. They would include dates and times of public hearings leading up to the name change being finalized.
Chief of Community Development and Policy Nick Doctor said he other piece would be the city using mapping data to send notices to the post office, service providers and government agencies after a name change is approved.
"Our goal in that is to really minimize any kind of burden that’s on that either landowner or resident or business owner," Doctor said.
An ordinance should be ready for the city council to consider in the coming weeks.
