TULSA, OKLA. (AP) — Tulsa’s Gilcrease Museum is plagued with a dysfunctional management structure and layers of bureaucracy that threaten its future, according to a report from a museum expert.

The Thomas Gilcrease Museum Association, which fired former museum director Joe Schenk, initiated an expert review of the museum in late November. The association contracted with museum expert and consultant Robert Macdonald, who was paid $5,000 in private funds. Macdonald’s final report was finished in January.

Macdonald’s report stated that the problems facing Gilcrease “are approaching critical mass that, if uncorrected, could jeopardize the museum’s future.’’

But Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor said she refuses to let that happen to a city treasure.

“After reviewing the governing structure at Gilcrease and the problems outlined in the report, it is clearly time to take action,’’ she said.

“It is imperative that we move immediately to protect and enhance a world-class asset that the city of Tulsa is fortunate to own.’’

Gilcrease Museum holds more than 400,000 items of the finest American art and Western collections, said Susan Neal, a member of the mayor’s management team.

The museum was given to the city by Thomas Gilcrease. It is located on 460 acres in the Osage Hills northwest of downtown.

As recommended by the expert, Taylor has taken the first step to create a new management structure for the museum.

She has formed a seven-member committee that will work with city staff and the museum’s private supporters to create a workable organization that would provide stability for the future enhancement and growth of the museum.

Macdonald’s report compared the organizational chart at the museum to an abstract painting because there are five independent entities that have some element of governing responsibility.

Across the nation, when cities have found themselves unable to manage and grow a significant asset, they often outsource the tasks to a non-governmental or quasi-governmental entity like a nonprofit, Macdonald said.

Taylor has directed the committee to follow Macdonald’s recommendations and research how a host of cities have successfully created management structures through public-private partnerships.