TULSA, Ok. - Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett says police have options of agreeing to no layoffs but Ryan Perkins with the Fraternal Order of Police disagrees with the Mayor's allegation that the offer is fair. Perkins says, "We received something that makes it much more difficult for us to save those officers." The FOP was ready to take Friday's offer of a five-percent pay cut and concessions on comp time and take-home cars to a vote. Perkins says, then, officers heard Mayor Bartlett had another plan. "It seems like every time we takes a step forward, they take a step back," he says. The Mayor also says he wants to change how officers are dispersed, which he says will save money.

TULSA, Ok. - Three candidates for the Tulsa mayor's job attended a forum last night at Clinton Middle School in west Tulsa. Republican candidate Dewey Bartlett says we need to live within our means and make sure trained police are not doing clerical work instead of police work. "We should move those officers out of that position and get them back in the street where they can accomplish the job that they were trained to do. Consolidate that position with other clerical positions that are manned by civilians," Bartlett says. All three candidates say they don't want to decrease the number of cops on Tulsa streets.

(Tulsa, Ok) -- T-minus 4 weeks and counting until the general election. Tulsa mayoral hopefuls Tom Adelson and Dewey Bartlett sparred in front of members of the Tulsa Retired Educators Association Tuesday morning. Adelson acknowledged the next mayor will face significant budgetary challenges.  Bartlett pledged to create jobs and manage the city properly without raising taxes.  The election is November 10th.

The city of Tulsa spent $10 million on overtime in 2007. Some believe the amount of money shows overtime expenses are out of control but Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor says the numbers do not tell the entire story.  Taylor says the city has a $500 million budget. "It is a very complex issue and to simply grab one number and say that someone is not watching the store is not a very sophisticated way to analyze our financial situation," says Taylor.  She explains in some of the examples of overtime, the city paid workers for extra hours instead of hiring additional employees with added costs like insurance, FICA benefits, retirement and uniforms.  Taylor says, "Managers manage their overtime to see whether it is more efficient to use ovetime or to in fact hire an additional new employee and in some cases they aren't able to." Plus the 2007 overtime numbers reflect the December ice storm which Taylor says she authorized.

Despite the hefty overtime price tag, Taylor says the city still met its budget and steps are taken monthly to review and examine overtime and staffing expenses.  She says the city has specifically looked at overtime at the airport which represents some of the serious overtime offenders in 2007.  Taylor says the expense is part of a federal mandate but already overtime costs have been cut by 50% in the past quarter.

New developments Tuesday morning with the downtown Tulsa ballpark and the trust proposed to oversee the facility.  Some Tulsa city councilors voiced concerns about the board membership.  Mayor Kathy Taylor's husband, Bill Lobeck, was to be part of the board.  Some of the city councilors did not want Lobeck on the trust calling it nepotism.  Mayor Taylor's Communications Director John Durkee says it is no longer an issue, "After meeting with his wife last night, Bill Lobeck told her he would decline to serve on the trust authority so no he is no longer a member of the trust."  Mayor Taylor is still a member of the proposed ballpark trust because of her elected position.

KREBS, Okla. (AP) - The mayor of Krebs has been arrested on a complaint of a convicted felon in possession of firearms.

Krebs Police Chief Dennis Cook says 54-year-old Kent Vicars was taken into custody without incident on yesterday.

Vicars was booked at the Pittsburg County Jail on a complaint of possession of firearms after a felony conviction after officers executed a search warrant and found 18 guns.

Cook says Vicars' felony record stemmed from 1981 cases. His previous conviction record included aggravated assault and battery on a police officer and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

Cooks says officers found rifles, shotguns and pistols at the mayor's residence.

Prosecutors say they plan to file charges of a convicted felon in possession of a police scanner and of firearms.