Oklahoma City has made remarkable progress due to MAPS, and people the world over are taking notice. Indeed, things like having the lowest unemployment rate in the nation, a stable housing market, the new Devon Tower, new and updated public school facilities all over the metro, a diverse economic base, Bricktown as we know it today, and our very own NBA team would not be possible without the investment we the voters have made with the MAPS initiatives. We have already received a ten-fold return on our initial $356 million investment. All totaled, MAPS has spurred roughly $5 billion in total capital investment in OKC.

Perhaps more importantly, we are once again proud to call Oklahoma City home. But the momentum our city is experiencing can never be regained once it is lost. We have an unprecedented chance to show the world that Oklahoma City will continue to be a vibrant city with an eye to the future -- that Oklahoma City is a place where a spirit of partnership among citizens, the business community, elected officials and neighborhood leaders prevails and works together for the common good.

A YES vote for the new MAPS proposal will continue the MAPS and MAPS for Kids legacy. It will create jobs, promote economic growth and private investment, raise our quality of life, and make OKC a better, healthier, more sustainable place for us and for our children. And it will NOT increase the tax rate.

Don't take our city's future for granted. Vote YES on Dec. 8 to keep OKC moving.

There are 8 projects included in the new MAPS proposal:

* A new, approximately 70-acre world-class destination park
* A new rail-based streetcar system, plus potential funding for other rail transit initiatives, such as commuter lines and a transit hub
* A new downtown convention center
* Sidewalks to be placed on major streets and near facilities used by the public throughout the City
* 57 miles of new public bicycling and walking trails throughout the City
* Improvements to the Oklahoma River, including a public whitewater kayaking facility and upgrades intended to achieve the finest rowing racecourse in the world
* State-of-the-art health and wellness aquatic centers throughout the City designed for senior citizens
* Improvements to the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds

The new MAPS proposal calls for a seven-year, nine-month one-cent sales tax that will maintain the Oklahoma City sales tax rate where it currently stands. Oklahoma City’s sales tax rate is one of the lowest of all municipalities in central Oklahoma. If approved, the collection of the sales tax will commence on April 1, 2010, the day after the conclusion of the sports facilities sales tax collection that voters approved in March, 2008. The MAPS for Kids sales tax collection lasted seven years.

The estimated total cost of the initiative is $777 million. That total cost includes $17 million in contingency funds.

The creation of previous MAPS packages were inclusive for their time, created through committees or by elected City leaders, but technology allowed this initiative to be molded by the people of Oklahoma City through the most inclusive process to date. In 2007, Mayor Cornett announced the launch of www.MAPS3.org, which for four months conducted a “call for ideas” open to all citizens.

The MAPS concept is unique to many in city government, because instead of incurring debt, we pay for the projects out of our cash flow so tax dollars go to the projects instead of paying for bonds.

For more information, see Oklahoma City's website: www.okc.gov/maps3.

Website: www.okc.gov/maps3

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Contact Info: PO Box 2331
Oklahoma City, OK 73101
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