KOCO 5: People make emotional pleas for possible projects to fund as part of MAPS 4
By KOCO Staff
Published: July 9, 2019
OKLAHOMA CITY — It was standing room-only Tuesday at City Hall in Oklahoma City as council members heard ideas on what they could include on the MAPS 4 penny sales tax program.
The MAPS program dates back to 1993 and has funded projects such as the Bricktown canal, Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark and Chesapeake Arena. Then, MAPS for Kids paid for improvements to schools across Oklahoma City, and MAPS 3 is paying for Scissortail Park and the streetcars.
MAPS 3 is still in the construction phase. Now, city officials are a few months away from asking the voters if they want a MAPS 4, but they first have to decided what will be included in the project.
One of the suggestions people made was to fund a new facility for a group called Palomar, which helps victims of domestic violence or sexual abuse.
“Mayor and council members, the decisions you make today will impact Oklahoma City for generations to come,” said Kim Garrett, president and CEO of Palomar.
Other pitches included funding for parks, soccer stadiums, streetlights, sidewalks and bike lanes. The meeting was the first of four. Information on future meetings can be found online here.
City Council members will decide what the program could pay for and how long it would last. Voters will have the final vote in December on whether to approve MAPS 4.
If approved, the sales tax people currently pay at Oklahoma City stores will stay the same. One cent on every dollar people spend would go to the MAPS project.