Oklahoma City Council approves MAPS 4

Oklahoma City Council approves MAPS 4

The proposed MAPS 4 package is focused on neighborhood and human needs, as well as quality of life and job-creating initiatives. More than 70 percent of the funding is dedicated to neighborhood and human needs.

The proposed MAPS 4 program includes 16 projects: 

• Parks ($140 million) • Youth Centers ($110 million) • Senior Wellness Centers ($30 million) • Mental Health and Addiction ($40 million) • Family Justice Center operated by Palomar ($38 million) •  Transit ($87 million)

• Sidewalks, bike lanes, trails and streetlights ($87 million) • Homelessness ($50 million) • Chesapeake Energy Arena and related facilities ($115 million) • Animal Shelter ($38 million) • Fairgrounds Coliseum ($63 million) • Diversion Hub ($17 million) • Innovation District ($71 million) • Freedom Center and Clara Luper Civil Rights Center ($25 million) • Beautification ($30 million) • Multipurpose Stadium ($37 million) More about MAPS 4.

The temporary tax included in the Better Streets, Safer City program expires March 31. The proposed MAPS 4 temporary penny sales tax would take effect April 1 and keep the sales tax rate the same. 

Including state sales tax, the overall sales tax rate in most of Oklahoma City is 8.625 percent. It’s 8.975 percent in Canadian County and 8.875 percent in Cleveland County because of county sales taxes.

Like previous MAPS programs, MAPS 4 will be subject to voter approval and have oversight from the City Council and a volunteer advisory board.

The Council would have final authority on all projects, but delegate primary oversight to the advisory board. The Mayor and Council appoint Oklahoma City residents to serve on the board and its subcommittees.

MAPS programs use cash to fund debt-free, pay-as-you-go project lists. The first year or so of all MAPS programs involves long-term planning and early phases of project design while cash accumulates from the sales tax. 

The volunteer advisory board and the Council work together on an implementation plan and timeline for the project list. By the time the sales tax expires, the money is accumulating interest and projects are well under way with planning in the final stages.

As an example, the MAPS 3 sales tax was collected from April 2010 to December 2017. MAPS 3 remains on budget, and the final project – the lower 30 acres of Scissortail Park – is scheduled to begin construction next year and open in 2022.

The MAPS 4 public input process began last fall when the Mayor and Council invited residents to share ideas for potential MAPS 4. Mayor Holt shared some of the ideas received as of early this year in his annual State of the City address. 

In June, the Council called a series of special public meetings in July and August to hear presentations on some of the ideas. The Council is now considering the project list and the potential call for an election.

 The MAPS 4 election will be Dec. 10 with only one item on the ballot. Voters will vote yes or no on a single capital investment program, which the Council will devote to the MAPS 4 program.

Oklahoma City voters registered at their current address are already eligible to vote. The deadline is Nov. 15 for new voter registration or updating your registration to a new address.

Visit the Oklahoma State Election Board’s website at ok.gov/elections.