MAPS 3 passes with 54.3% of vote

"Oklahoma City's golden age continues," Mayor Mick Cornett said at an election watch party for the Yes for MAPS campaign as red, white and blue confetti blasted into the air. "Let's enjoy this. Let's take stock of who we are and keep in mind we're creating a city our kids and our grandkids are going to be proud of for generations to come."

The watch party, held in a Cox Convention Center ballroom, featured giant projection screens and flat screen televisions showing election coverage, a lighting system projecting colorful designs around the room and an ice sculpture adorning one of several food tables.

As election results came in, partygoers cheered while dining on upscale foods and vast selections of artisan breads, cheeses, meats and fresh vegetables.

The penny sales tax that will pay for the $777 million package passed with about 54 percent of the vote with all precincts reporting. Oklahoma County Election Board officials were anticipating voter turnout of about 25 to 30 percent, about twice as high as most city elections.

The MAPS 3 tax will last seven years and nine months when it begins April 1. It replaces the current penny sales tax that funds Ford Center improvements and a practice facility for the city's NBA team, the Oklahoma City Thunder. The city's 3.875 percent sales tax rate will not change.

"Our message never changed: This city does not provide adequate essential services to its citizens. The votes are in. The vote's done," said Gil Hensley, co-chairman of Not This MAPS and president of the city's police union, which led opposition to MAPS 3 along with the city's firefighter union.

Like its predecessors, MAPS and MAPS For Kids, MAPS 3 is designed to dramatically change the face of the city.

Once all projects are complete, downtown will be connected to the Oklahoma River by a sprawling, 70-acre central park that will house attractions of all types. Nearby, a new convention center will be built to attract coveted conventions and the economic perks that come with them. The river will be home to world-class kayaking and whitewater rafting facilities. Residents and visitors will be able to use a modern streetcar system to get there and elsewhere throughout the downtown area.