My 2 Cents: Let Your Voice Be Heard For MAPS 4 Projects

I'm a big believer in how the MAPS program has changed our city by adding amenities we could have never afforded without the temporary one-cent sales tax.

MAPS has momentum. The projects that have been built have been, as advertised, successful. And consequently, Oklahoma City residents have voted to extend the one-penny tax four times since the original MAPS election in 1993.

Those elections have been carefully timed a few months before the current MAPS tax collection period expires, so that city leaders can tell the citizens a “yes” vote on the next MAPS program "won't raise your taxes at all", no pain.

So, probably around December, Oklahoma City voters will be asked to pass MAPS 4.

It's critically important that leaders come up with a winning proposal, because nobody knows for sure what would happen if a MAPS vote failed, and they had to go back out and re-package it as a temporary one-cent sales tax increase again.

Tuesday, July 9 the City Council will hold the first of four special meetings to hear presentations on potential MAPS 4 projects.

On the board for the first meeting, Palomar, that's a domestic violence organization, then parks, sidewalks, bike lanes, trails, streetlights, and finally the Freedom Center.

After that, citizens can be heard from. So, if you have a good suggestion, take it to one of these special meetings.

I'm Kelly Ogle and that's My 2 Cents.