Oklahoma City Council to vote on MAPS ballot
Specific plans for $777M proposal won’t be included because of a change in state law
BY JOHN ESTUS
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Published: September 29, 2009
Oklahoma City Council members are expected to approve a MAPS 3 ballot today that is unlike previous MAPS ballots because it doesn’t identify specific projects.
Projects to be funded by proposed MAPS 3 sales tax revenue are only identified as city "capital improvements” in the ballot. Specifics of the $777 million MAPS 3 proposal aren’t listed on the ballot. The description differs from what voters saw on the original MAPS ballot in 1993, which listed each individual project that was to be funded. A resolution of intent council members are also expected to approve today states that funds from the proposed penny sales tax extension would be used only for projects in the MAPS 3 proposal. The MAPS For Kids ballot in 2001 didn’t list individual projects, but specified that money raised from the penny sales tax was only for "public school or public school facilities expenditures.” One reason the proposed MAPS 3 ballot lacks specifics is a change in state law that requires a separate vote for each project listed on a ballot. That means if each individual MAPS 3 project were listed on the ballot, voters would vote for each project rather than all projects at once. As they did with MAPS and MAPS For Kids, city leaders decided to make the MAPS 3 ballot an all-or-nothing question; voters will not vote on individual projects. Mayor Mick Cornett, who has spearheaded the MAPS 3 initiative, said an all-or-nothing approach for MAPS 3 was chosen because it has worked with voters in the past. "This is the process they are going to be comfortable with,” Cornett said. Projects in the MAPS 3 proposal include a large downtown park, new convention center, a downtown streetcar and commuter rail system, Oklahoma River improvements, fairgrounds improvements, sidewalks and senior wellness centers. Cornett said he doesn’t think the catch-all category of city "capital improvements” is too vague for voters. "I think the expectation is they’re voting on them all at once,” Cornett said. The mayor noted that each improvement project wasn’t listed on the MAPS For Kids ballot. The MAPS 3 ballot asks for a vote for or against extending the penny sales tax that expires next April for another seven years and nine months in order to pay for city "capital improvements.” In addition, the MAPS 3 ballot calls for the creation of an advisory board similar to the boards that oversaw the implementation of previous MAPS initiatives. The MAPS 3 advisory board would be guided by the resolution of intent when making recommendations on MAPS 3 projects to the city council. Resolutions of intent are nonbinding. They can be overturned by a city council vote. Council members voted 7-1 last week to have a final vote today on the ordinances needed to set a Dec. 8 election for MAPS 3.
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1. SFS is a historic and valuable amenity that would cost $60 to $100 milion to replace.
2. One of the problems with MAPS 3 is the “coyness” of Fair Board officials about SFS. It’s not shown on the artwork promoting the fair park revisions. Thus, the “master plan” for Fair Park is unreasonably vague. SFS may be gravely endangered by MAPS 3 and the officials in charge apparently lack the candor to be truthful about it.
3. It is unrealistic to presume that any private entity can or would build a motorsports facility as good or better than SFS. Any replacement would likely be an inconveniently-located, cheaply-built “erector-set” facility.
4. Considering that SFS is “paid for,” it’s wholly unreasonable to penalize Central Oklahoma’s racing fans and racers with the cost of a new facility (the money would have to come from somewhere, and the costs of a new facility would be passed along).
Have a couple of thoughts for you (hopefully you have links)
(clarification) The $3 billion was public AND private (not private alone) but still an impressive number.
You low-balled the amount Devon is spending (actually $750M) but am curious where you got the "$225 million in downtown improvements" number from? What I had read put it at $115M (again, not something to be sneezed at).
What? The Ballot and Ordinance are indeed going to the voters (exactly as written). That's what this most recent vote of the Council was for, to set the election date (they had previously approved the Ballot and Ordinance itself). Don't think they are allowed by law to make any changes to them now (they would have to vote to scrap it completely and replace it with a new one at this point).
I've worked in development and philanthropy in this city for 6 years, if you want real stats on the results from MAPS call us:
http://www.okcchamber.com/page.asp?atomid=219
needs.
Perhaps it shouldn't all be about "me". Perhaps we should also look for how we, as citizens of a city, can contribute to the common good. Personally, I'm very happy with what my penny sales taxes have purchased for my city and my fellow citizens over the last decade + and I would be very happy to continue contributing to improve my city and improve quality of life for fellow residents of my city, as well as visitors.
You wonder why okielands median wage is so far below the rest of the country?
You wonder why so many okies are on public assistance?
You wonder why so many okies are "underemployed"??
You wonder why so many okies are making the payday loan stores rich?
"My" reasoning is pitiful?
If all these places are bringing in such major truckloads of cash, tax revenue, etc, why can't the city maintain what it already has? Why can't the city give raises to the firemen? Why can't the city fix the jail?
Why did the city worry about paying for vehicle fuel last year when costs started going up if there was such major tax revenue coming into the city coffers?
Why are all state departments facing a 5-10% reduction in operating costs for the remainder of the fiscal year IF such unlimited tax revenues are pouring in?
Quit believing the BS you're being fed, Rob, because as "peachy" as okieland makes it sound, the truth of the matter is far different....
Don't even start prattling about Clay/The Dunder, because he brought far less jobs than he's getting tax credit for, and for that matter, far fewer than he promised the legislature he'd bring.
Dell? They've done gone and moved most of the jobs to Texas?
Triple A?--They've scaled back from 1200 or so promised jobs to around 400 or so, but I'll bet they still get the tax breaks as if they bring those original 1200 jobs.
C'Mon, Teddy, prove me wrong.
Not to mention the construction jobs that are created by these projects. MAPS is a win no matter how you look at it...unless you want an ugly, boring city that doesn't attract new business, coorporations or tourism dollars. In that case, move to Mississippi, you'll fit right in.
In addition, "Aubry and the Boys" contribute millions of dollars each year to fund philanthropy projects and we should be thankful for what they do. But if saving yourself 1/3 of a cent sales tax is really that important to you, then vote no, that is why we live in a democracy.
It doesn't matter that (more than likely) half of the amount will amount to pork and lining the pockets of the already rich, as long as the powers that be spew their drivel about how okaysee will become something approaching "world class", the yokels will slurp it up....
In the Related Content sidebar the
1) “Read the sample MAPS for Kids ballot” is actually the original MAPS ballot
2) “Read the MAPS for Kids project list” is actually the MAPS 3 project list and the
3) “Read the MAPS for Kids resolution” is the Council Intent Resolution for MAPS 3 (as the article points out, it is non-binding)