MAPS 3: Oversight board included on ballot, but not defined
BY BRYAN DEAN
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Published: November 8, 2009
Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett said there was never a question whether the city would include a citizen oversight board as part of MAPS 3.
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Such a group is included in the documents passed by the city calling for the MAPS 3 election, which will be Dec. 8.
When the original Metropolitan Area Projects won voter approval in 1993, the concept of a citizen oversight panel was new. City leaders pitched the idea as another layer of supervision over the $363 million raised by the 1-cent sales tax.
Southside resident
Carl Sullivan was one of the 21 members of the MAPS oversight board.
"Having people who have no ax to grind and no way to benefit from the outcome to just look at the way to do things, I think that’s a benefit,” Sullivan said.
The concept worked so well for MAPS, council members adapted it for MAPS for Kids and included a citizen oversight panel when voters approved a tax to fund renovations at the
Ford Center last year.
In each case, members of the committee were appointed and not paid for their time.
Although the makeup and design of the committee isn’t spelled out in the MAPS 3 ballot or supporting documents, Cornett said it will resemble previous citizen oversight committees, which have evolved over the years.
He likes the idea of nine members, which would allow for a representative from each of the city’s eight wards and an at-large member.
The city council will have to approve the makeup of the group.
"The original MAPS oversight board was kind of large,” Cornett said. "I think smaller is better, but at the same time, I want to have representatives from all over the city.”
Sullivan said there were some advantages to a large group, but he admits the size of the MAPS oversight board made it difficult to get everyone in the same room. Who is appointed to serve on the committee is the bigger question, he said.
"I think it gives credibility to what you are doing as long as they can see that it’s not a good old boy handpicked group,” Sullivan said.
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Yet there was a question about it under the Ford tax. When asked about it before the vote, the Mayor's office didn't think it was needed. The original MAPS board had some authority and did give credibility to it. This new MAPS pays lip service to that idea. There was much dissension with the original MAPS board and served as a check & balance to make sure that what they said was going to happen, did happen. With nothing spelled out (unlike MAPS which had a lot of detail spelled out), there is way too much room here.
"Although the makeup and design of the committee isn’t spelled out in the MAPS 3 ballot or supporting documents, Cornett said it will resemble previous citizen oversight committees, which have evolved over the years."