President Trump’s tariffs have generated economic uncertainty throughout the country, including in Tulsa’s city government.
City Parks Director Anna America said at an April 2 City Council meeting that Trump’s 25% tariff on imported steel and aluminum is driving up the cost of playground equipment.
“People are nervous. We’ve had a number of instances where someone has told us, ‘These costs will go up on such-and-such a date,’ “ she said. ”So when we get that information, we try to prioritize that moving forward, if we can.”
America said the parks department’s budget is going up “almost across the board” because of the increased costs of raw materials.
And it’s not just the Parks Department that is dealing with the uncertainty associated with tariffs.
Steve Wyett, Bank of Oklahoma chief investment strategist, said housing developers and automakers, among many others, are bracing for cost increases as well — though he said the full impact isn’t yet clear.
“If you’re a public leader, if you’re a corporate CEO, and you’re trying to make plans to do projects that may take multiple years to get done, it just makes that planning process so much more difficult,” Wyett said.
As for the Parks Department, City Councilor Karen Gilbert says she has requested parks officials meet with Council on a quarterly basis to evaluate costs of park projects.
