TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa City Councilors passed two ordinances focused on improving living conditions and housing standards for Tulsa residents. These ordinances come from recommendations from the City Council Habitability Working Group.
The sound of work was proof work was being done at the James Inhofe apartment complex near 61st and Riverside on Thursday.
2 News got numerous calls from people saying the grass is overgrown, A/C units weren't consistently operating, and most recently - a lack of hot water - going on 15 days.
We called and spoke to a handful of people living there, but no one wanted to go on camera. We also called the complex managers – the Millennia Companies, twice but didn't get an answer.
It could have been because those complaints were finally being handled Thursday morning.
We saw plumbers at the complex fixing the hot water. We also saw City of Tulsa crews in the parking lot.
2 News has been to the Inhofe Plaza before. The 2 News Problem Solvers were there in June when residents like Vanessa Dixon said she felt unsafe due to faulty parking lot lights.
"I have to work sometimes coming in at midnight, and it's very scary," Dixon said.
Regardless, the city is cracking down on habitability concerns. They formed a working group in 2021 to better understand it and come to solutions.
Tulsa City Councilors passed two ordinances on Aug. 30.
The first ordinance updates the property maintenance code to give code officials more effective enforcement for all rental properties. It also establishes the duties of a new code official position and minimum maintenance standards for residential rental units and property.
The second ordinance adds a new chapter describing the requirements for minimum living standards that rental units must follow, including plumbing, electrical, and exterior standards.
Tulsa City Councilor Lori Decter Wright, who helped establish the working group, says that passing these two ordinances will at least be a baseline. Hence, Tulsans know they have the city's backing to have the right to live in adequate housing.
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