TULSA COUNTY

RECOVERY PLAN

2021

04

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

06 Project Highlights

A summary of Tulsa County’s ARP Plan 

and the County’s top five areas of focus. 

A more in-depth look at the projects 

within Tulsa County’s top five areas of focus.

ARP Fund Tracking 13

A tracking sheet of Tulsa County’s initial 

funding for ARP.
Tulsa County Priorities

As research continues, Tulsa County’s ARP Plan 

focuses on five priorities. Through July 31, Tulsa 

County allocated $6.3 million, or 5%, of total 

anticipated ARP funding. The following are Tulsa 

County’s top priorities:

Respond to COVID-19

Amount allocated through July 31: $2.52 million

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, Tulsa County 

has an increased focus on responding to the 

COVID-19 pandemic. Expenditures in this category 

include internally and externally focused projects. 

Internally, Tulsa County must ensure that its 

employees and the residents they interact with are 

able to continue operations and services safely. 

Externally, Tulsa County is working with community 

leaders in various industries to support public health. 

Overall, this priority includes a broad approach to 

public health, including support of expanded mental 

and physical health services; support for 

organizations that provide necessities such as food 

and shelter; purchasing and dissemination of 

personal protective equipment; supporting access to 

testing, remote working assistance and more. 

Several key datasets dominate this priority. Internally, 

Tulsa County is tracking its COVID-19 rates among 

about 1,000 employees to minimize exposure 

compared to the Tulsa County population. Externally, 

Tulsa County is working with the Tulsa Health 

Department to monitor and respond to County-wide 

data trends.

Tulsa County began tracking employee outages and 

positive tests by department on Aug. 11. Through Aug. 

25, 14 employees were out of office in total with seven 

confirmed positive tests. 

Tulsa County received $63 million 

($63,278,169) May 25 through the American 

Rescue Plan (ARP) and is scheduled to 

receive an additional $63 million in 2022. 

As guidance from the Department of the 

Treasury rolled out through the summer, a 

Tulsa County ARP committee that had 

previously met on CARES funding began to 

meet with community leaders to learn about 

the most significant needs and research best 

practices for expending funds.

The Tulsa County Board of County 

Commissioners approves all ARP 

expenditures during weekly public meetings. 

The Tulsa County ARP Committee is an 

advisory group that meets frequently to hear 

and discuss project proposals that meet ARP 

guidelines. The committee consists of one 

Tulsa County Commissioner, two deputy 

commissioners, the Tulsa County Clerk, the 

Tulsa County government affairs director 

and representatives from support staff 

including purchasing, accounting and 

communication personnel. 

The committee has hosted dozens of 

community leaders and evaluated dozens 

more proposals to assess the overall needs 

for economic recovery and public health in 

Tulsa County. Committee representatives 

have also brought Tulsa County’s approach to 

external community groups, including the 

Tulsa Regional Chamber board of directors, 

Tulsa Community Foundation funders 

roundtable, Tulsa Area United Way, 

Greenwood Chamber, Visit Tulsa, tribal 

leaders, city leaders, area state 

representatives and state senators, and more. 

Executive Summary

04
Cases in Tulsa County residents for a similar 

timeframe, Aug. 10-24, were at 421 per 100,000. 

Assuming a correlation, the Tulsa County 

employee positive test rate compares at about 

700 per 100,000. This shows a 66% increased 

COVID-19 rate among Tulsa County employees 

for this two-week period. 

As Tulsa County collects more data over time, the 

correlation should become stronger and provide a 

better look at performance.

Support Economic Recovery 

& Development

Amount allocated through July 31: $3.79 million

Tulsa County supports recovery from the 

economic downturn in 2020 that includes 

economic development, tourism, workforce 

development and more. 

Key metrics in this priority include long-standing 

local strategies combined with post-pandemic 

studies, including a Tulsa County CARES funded 

study in 2020 that examined recovery needs. A 

significant recommendation focused on a need 

to upgrade workforce credentials and 

certifications across the region. 

Generate Equity in Underserved 

Populations & Communities

Most projects, regardless of its driving priority, will 

include aspects that drive equity among 

underserved populations and communities. This is a 

key component of ARP funding and an overarching 

priority for Tulsa County. 

Tulsa County will shape applicable projects to focus 

on improving equity among underserved 

populations and communities, including qualified 

census tracts (QCTs). 

Build Infrastructure

Tulsa County is exploring its infrastructure needs as 

they apply to ARP, which specifically targets 

broadband expansion and improving water quality, 

among others.

Replace Lost Revenue

Tulsa County authorities, departments and agencies 

lost millions in revenue during the pandemic and 

economic downturn. ARP provides for lost revenue, 

which Tulsa County is tracking and will balance 

replacement of lost revenue with emergency needs 

due to COVID-19 within the community.

05

200 300 400 500 600 700 800

TC Public

TC Employees

(Normalized)

Positive COVID-19 Test Rates Per 100,000

Data collected: Aug. 11-25 Aug. 10-24

70,000

60,000

50,000

40,000

30,000

20,000

10,000

0

Jan-20 Feb-20 Mar-20 Apr-20 May-20 Jun-20 Jul-20 Aug-20 Sep-20

Unemployment by Occupation Group

Production Occupations

Sales and Related Occupations

Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations

Management Occupations
Project Highlights

06
Project Highlights

07

Title: Minimum revenue guarantee for new direct flights 

Priority Category: Economic Recovery & Development

Amount: $3 million

Summary: Tulsa County saw a severe decrease in tourism during the pandemic. Adding nonstop, direct 

flights has been a long-time priority for Tulsa-area tourism strategies and will support a return to 

pre-COVID-19 tourism levels. The Airline Minimum Revenue Guarantee (MRG) program is a partnership 

with the Tulsa Community Foundation to provide a safety net for airline revenue that reduces risk for 

airlines. The program will also allow Tulsa to compete with other cities vying for the same direct flights. 

Performance measures and evaluation: Visit Tulsa tracks hotel-night stays for hoteliers throughout Tulsa, 

which gives an outlook on general tourism in the Tulsa area. Tourism dollars accounted for $1.7 billion in 

annual economic impact and supported more than 15,000 jobs in the Tulsa area before COVID-19. 

Hotel-night stays, traffic to VisitTulsa.com and actual inbound and outbound MRG ticket sales at the Tulsa 

International Airport will offer insight on the success of the program.

Key Performance Indicators:

Actual flight usage data will be added once MRG-backed flights begin operation in November

 

Tulsa Regional Tourism Booked-room Nights

250,000

200,000

150,000

100,000

50,000

200,000

2018 - 2019 2019 - 2020 2020 - 2021

Hotel Rooms Booked
Project Highlights

08

Title: Retrain Tulsa

Priority Category: Economic Recovery & Development

Amount: $790,000

Summary: Retrain Tulsa, a workforce training program led by Tulsa Community Workadvance and New 

Workforce Directions, targets participants who were affected by COVID-19 and economic downturn. 

Multiple levels of in-person and online intervention include career exploration, skills assessment and 

training. Tulsa County’s ARP funding will expand Tulsa Community Workadvance’s physical space and 

allow for new strategies to accommodate increased volume.

Equity: The Tulsa County and Tulsa Regional Chamber workforce study found that recovery from the 

COVID-19 pandemic will leave low-education, low-skill workers at the greatest risk of being left behind. 

This program focuses on those workers, specifically those whose jobs were affected during the 

pandemic.

Performance measures and evaluation: Using CARES funding, Tulsa County partnered with the Tulsa 

Regional Chamber in the fall of 2020 to complete a study of workforce dislocation resulting from the 

COVID-19 pandemic. A summary of the comprehensive study highlights increased difficulty in filling 

high-skilled jobs. COVID-19 caused additional stress in the workplace that caused the initial job opening, 

and the current workforce lacks skills and certifications needed, according to the study.

The workforce study recommends changes to Tulsa County workforce training and higher education 

systems to align with employer needs.

Key Performance Indicators: The program is planned to begin by Nov. 1 and be fully operational in the 

first quarter of 2022.

Planned metrics include:

Career Exploration & Preparation

 • In-program and end-of-program participation evaluation

 • Attendance, completion performance on deliverables

Power Skills Certification

 • Soft skills assessment

 • Attendance, completion, performance on deliverables

 • In-course and end-of-course participant evaluation

Industry Credentials

 • Start, percent completed, percent attained

 • In-course and end-of-course participant evaluation

Job Placement

 • Percent ready for placement

 • Percent placed, wages, etc.

 • Retention
Title: Expo Square social distancing 

Priority Category: County Response to COVID-19

Amount: $200,000

Summary: Expo Square is owned by the Tulsa 

County Public Facilities Authority and hosts 

millions of visitors who attend hundreds of events 

each year at a multitude of complexes, including 

River Spirit Expo, the Exchange Center, Central 

Park Hall, the Pavilion and others. 

These events cause millions of dollars to pass 

through Expo Square. Expo Square staff 

requested cash counters to ensure accounting 

standards continue without unnecessary 

exposure to COVID-19 due to handling cash 

payments in a dense work environment.

Performance measures and evaluation: The new 

cash counters will help reduce and minimize 

exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace, as well as 

minimize vacation, sick or administrative time 

used due to COVID-19. Tulsa County is tracking 

employees leave time related to COVID-19. 

Key Performance Indicators: Tulsa County 

employee COVID-19 rate compared to 

County-wide rate. See executive summary.

Project Highlights

09

Title: Tulsa County remote working implementation

Priority Category: County Response to COVID-19

Amount: $1.8 million ($1,842,660)

Summary: Workday is Tulsa County’s cloud-based 

platform for time management, payroll, accounting 

and more. Tulsa County began the move to 

Workday in 2020 to modernize data management 

at Tulsa County and support remote working. The 

move to Workday was partially funded through 

CARES. This project will take advantage of 

additional Workday tools, including new software 

that helps manage human capital and financial 

operations. These new tools will make data securely 

available to remote workers. 

Performance measures and evaluation: Tulsa 

County is tracking all employees out of office due to 

COVID-19. The new software will help reduce and 

minimize exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace, as 

well as minimize vacation, sick or administrative time 

used due to COVID-19. 

Key Performance Indicators: Tulsa County 

employee COVID-19 rate compared to 

County-wide rate. See executive summary.
10

Title: Tulsa County Court Services Women in 

 Recovery staffing

Priority Category: County Response to COVID-19

Amount: $127,548

Summary: Women in Recovery (WIR) is an intensive 

outpatient alternative for eligible women facing long 

prison sentences for non-violent, drug-related 

offenses. Women incarcerated in the Tulsa County 

Jail have an increased risk of COVID-19 due to 

congregate housing. This funding will support two 

dedicated law-enforcement officers to permanently 

join Women in Recovery staff. The additional staff will 

allow increased supervision of women released from 

jail, as well as maintain treatment hours that changed 

due to COVID-19 social distancing needs. 

Equity: This program specifically targets women 

heading for prison. Historically, Oklahoma leads the 

nation in female incarceration rates. Since 2010, 

women sentenced to the Oklahoma Department of 

Corrections has decreased by 72% in Tulsa County. 

Supporting the WIR program staffing will continue 

this trend and reduce the rate of COVID-19 in the 

Tulsa County Jail overall. 

Performance measures and evaluation: The Tulsa 

County Jail provides data on the number of 

quarantined inmates and positive tests within the jail 

through 2020 to present. Diverting more women out 

of the jail will decrease positive tests within the jail. 

WIR also maintains data on each woman in the 

program, including recidivism and physical health. 

Additional staffing will also increase the success rate 

of the program. 

Key Performance Indicator benchmarks:

COVID-19 rates at the jail.

 • Total Covid-19 tests given since the start of 

 the pandemic: 14,067

 • Total positives tests: 560

Success rate and number of women in program 

will be reported quarterly

• Pre-pandemic, WIR averaged 109 

 admissions per year

• Since then, WIR has averaged 43 

 admissions per year

Title: Jail inmate safety 

Priority Category: County response to COVID-19

Amount: $167,202.37

Summary: The Tulsa County Jail response to COVID-19 

outbreaks through 2020 caused several quarantines 

for entire jail pods. Every inmate booked into the 

facility is offered a COVID-19 test within 24 hours of 

entering the facility. The jail currently processes more 

than 700 rapid tests per month. More testing will 

decrease spread within the jail. 

Equity: The Tulsa County Jail is in a qualified census 

tract, and pre-incarceration poverty is 

disproportionately low among inmates nationally. 

According to prisonpolicy.org, inmates, prior to 

incarceration, earned about half that of their 

counterparts regardless of gender and race. Nationally, 

jails hold a disproportionate number of minorities 

compared to population demographics. 

Performance measures and evaluation: The Tulsa 

County Jail provides data on the number of positive 

tests within the jail through 2020 to present. The jail 

medical contractor will also provide statistics on tests 

broken down by gender, race and ethnicity.

Key Performance Indicators:

COVID-19 tests and number of quarantined inmates

 • Future test data will include details on 

 gender, race and ethnicity

 

COVID-19 rates at the jail

 • Total Covid-19 tests given since the start of 

 the pandemic: 14,067

 • Total positives tests: 560

Project Highlights
Project Highlights

11

Title: Return to Tulsa – Peter Greenberg Partnership 

Priority Category: Economic Recovery & Development

Amount: $75,000

Summary: Return to Tulsa’s Peter Greenberg 

Partnership is one part of a larger tourism project 

that is still under consideration. Its objective is to 

inspire affluent travelers to choose Tulsa for a future 

visit through a partnership with CBS Travel Editor 

Peter Greenberg for a 12-minute feature on Tulsa for 

Peter Greenberg’s “Hidden Gems” show. 

A Tulsa episode of Travel Detective will be available 

on PBS, Amazon Prime and Apple TV+. Segments 

will also be available for use by CBS with additional 

live streaming spotlights on Tulsa.

Performance measures and evaluation: Visit Tulsa 

tracks hotel-night stays for hoteliers throughout 

Tulsa, which gives an outlook on general tourism to 

the Tulsa area. Tourism dollars account for $1.7 billion 

in annual economic impact and supported more 

than 15,000 jobs in the Tulsa area before COVID-19. 

Return to Tulsa will support increased hotel-night 

stays.

Partial project metrics:

The Eye on Travel radio show

Reach: 1,393,725

Ad Value Equivalency: $12,891.96

Facebook Live posted on website:

Reach: 49,629

Ad Value Equivalency: $459.07

KRLD-AM (Radio) airing Eye on Travel show:

Reach: 268,300

Ad Value Equivalency: $2,481.78

WGN-AM (Radio) airing Eye on Travel show: 

Reach: 344,100

Ad Value Equivalency: $3,182.93

Key Performance Indicator:

Tulsa Regional Tourism booked room nights. 

See previous graph on page 7.

Title: TAEMA additional staffing 

Priority Category: County Response to COVID-19

Amount: $45,000

Summary: The Tulsa Area Emergency 

Management Agency (TAEMA) is jointly funded 

through the City of Tulsa and Tulsa County 

budgets. During 2020, TAEMA hired additional 

staff to respond to the increased workload caused 

by COVID-19. Tulsa County approved its half of the 

requested $90,000 to continue staffing a 

communications specialist and an administrative 

assistant to assist with increased workload 

including vaccination efforts and personal 

protective equipment (PPE) dissemination 

throughout the County. 

Performance measures and evaluation: TAEMA 

oversees central purchasing and dissemination of 

PPE among several County, City of Tulsa and other 

municipality departments and agencies. The 

ongoing demand on TAEMA correlates to the 

need for additional staff. 

Key Performance Indicators:

Amount and types of PPE purchased and distributed

Since the start of 2021, TAEMA has distributed

 • 1,183,200 pairs of gloves

 • 5,508 32oz bottles of hand sanitizer

 • 556,810 masks
Project Highlights

12

Title: County Clerk’s office staffing 

Priority Category: County Response to COVID-19

Amount: $37,826.48

Summary: The Tulsa County Clerk’s office took 

on additional responsibilities due to increased 

workload caused by COVID-19. Additional 

workload includes accounting and 

communication needs directly related to 

expending ARP funding. Funding covered 

estimated work hours for existing and new 

full-time employees. 

Performance measures and evaluation: The Tulsa 

County Clerk’s office assigned the additional 

workload to existing and new employees, who 

are supervised and evaluated annually.

Key Performance Indicators:

Two full-time employees are compensated for 40 

hours per week with responsibilities in 

accounting, communications and strategizing 

ARP spending. 

Three full-time employees are partially 

compensated for accounting and purchasing 

needs related to ARP.

Title: Tulsa County remote working - IT 

Priority Category: County Response to COVID-19

Amount: $17,425

Summary: Tulsa County’s Information 

Technology department oversees Zoom licenses 

for Tulsa County that enable remote working and 

social distancing among employees. Access to 

Zoom will reduce spread of COVID-19 through 

County departments. 

Performance measures and evaluation: Tulsa 

County is tracking all employees out of office due 

to COVID-19. Remote working tools like Zoom 

help reduce and minimize exposure to COVID-19 

in the workplace, as well as minimize vacation, 

sick or administrative time used due to COVID-19. 

Key Performance Indicators: Tulsa County 

employee COVID-19 rate compared to 

County-wide rate. See executive summary.

Title: Tulsa County remote working - BOCC

Priority Category: County Response to COVID-19

Amount: $10,916.34

Summary: Tulsa County’s Board of County 

Commissioners (BOCC) oversees many Tulsa 

County departments, each with its own remote 

working preferences. iPad’s allow flexibility to 

remote work from in or outside the office. Tulsa 

County BOCC purchased six Apple tablets with 

accompanying keyboard, cases and licenses. 

Performance measures and evaluation: Tulsa 

County is tracking all employees out of office due 

to COVID-19. Remote working tools like iPads 

help reduce and minimize exposure to COVID-19 

in the workplace, as well as minimize vacation, 

sick or administrative time used due to COVID-19. 

Key Performance Indicators: Tulsa County 

employee COVID-19 rate compared to 

County-wide rate. See executive summary.
ARP Fund Tracking

13

Department Summary

Amount Received

TCSO

Court Services/Women in Rec.

I.T.

County Clerk

County Clerk

County Clerk

TCF Greater Tulsa LLC

BOCC

TAEMA

Retrain Tulsa/Madison Strat.

Tulsa Regional Tourism

Expo Square/TCPFA

5/24/2021

5/24/2021

6/7/2021

6/7/2021

6/30/2021

7/30/2021

6/14/2021

7/6/2021

7/6/2021

7/12/2021

7/19/2021

7/26/2021

167,202.37 1.2 

1.9

1.8

1.8

2.11

7.1

1.8

1.9

2.7

2.11

1.8

7.1

127,548.00

3,000,000.00

45,000.00

10,916.34

14,972.67

17,425.00

1,842,660.00

22,853.81

790,000.00

75,000.00

200,000.00

$ 63,278,169.00

TCSO $ 167,202.37

Court Services/Women in Rec. $ 127,548.00

I.T. $ 17,425.00

County Clerk $ 1,842,660.00

TCF Greater Tulsa LLC $ 3,000,000.00

Retrain Tulsa/Madison Strat. $ 790,000.00

Tulsa Regional Tourism $ 75,000.00

BOCC $ 10,916.34

TAEMA $ 45,000.00

Expo Square/TCPFA $ 200,000.00

Departments Individual Approved

Amounts ($)

Treasury Expense Date of Approval Category

Approved Amounts

Treasury Expense Categories

The U.S. Treasury guidance included specific expense categories that in 

most cases directly align with Tulsa County’s five priorities. However, some 

projects may overlap multiple priorities and categories. 

The highest, best category for Treasury reporting purposes is reflected here.

www.tulsacounty.org

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RESCUE PLAN

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