Possible MAPS 4 projects revealed, meetings set

Friday, June 14, 2019

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Oklahoma City voters could decide on MAPS 4 projects later this year, and this afternoon’s posting of the June 18 OKC City Council meeting agenda has revealed more than a dozen proposed areas of investment.

The proposed projects, ranging from expanded mental health facilities to a new multipurpose stadium, will be discussed at a series of public meetings this summer. If approved Tuesday, each meeting would feature a slate of potential projects. Eventually, the OKC City Council is expected to whittle down the proposals for a final package.

MAPS 4 project proposal meetings

The four city meetings are slated to begin in July and conclude in early August:

July 9 — Palomar Family Justice Center; parks; sidewalks, bike lanes, trails and streetlights; Freedom Center.
July 11 — Youth centers; beautification; Oklahoma State Fair coliseum; senior wellness centers; animal shelter.
July 31 — Transit; homelessness; Chesapeake Energy Arena and NBA enhancements; diversion hub.
Aug. 6 — Mental health; multipurpose stadium; innovation district.

According to the agenda released Friday afternoon, the Aug. 6 meeting is set to include discussion of other projects brought forward by council members along with project timing, revenue estimates and sustainable design efforts.

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All meetings will be held at the City Council chamber.

“I’m excited about the direction of the list, it’s meeting a lot of important needs in our city,” Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt told NonDoc before the official list was announced.

Voters could decide on the fate of MAPS 4 in December. The last MAPS package included construction of the soon-to-be opened Scissortail Park, a 70-acre expanse in downtown Oklahoma City, Riversport Rapids and a new convention center currently under construction. It also provided funding for the city’s streetcar system.

Oklahoma City voters first instituted an additional one-cent sales tax to provide for municipal investments in 1993. Including the ongoing MAPS penny, Oklahoma City’s sales tax rate is 8.625 percent in Oklahoma County. Within the city jurisdiction that stretches into Cleveland, Canadian and Pottawatomie counties, the sales tax rate is higher.