Three new sales tax and bond proposals could raise more than a billion dollars for public projects in Oklahoma City.
Two of the proposals would replace the one-cent MAPS 3 sales tax, which will expire at the end of this year, according to a city press release. Part of the MAPS tax would be replaced by a permanent one-quarter-cent sales tax to be reinvested into the city’s General Fund, which pays for public safety, animal control, parks, transit and other basic services. The tax is expected to generate $26 million per year.
The rest of the MAPS tax would be replaced by a temporary three-quarter-cent sales tax, which is expected to generate $180 million in revenue. $126 million would fund street resurfacing, $9 million would pay for trails, $9 million would fund bicycle infrastructure, $18 million would go toward sidewalks and $9 million would pay for streetscapes.
The largest proposal is a general obligation bond package totalling $967 million. The bond would allow the city to pay for infrastructure projects without raising property taxes. Planned expenditures include:
$28 million for traffic control
$27 million for bridges
$138 million for parks and recreation
$62 million for drainage control
$60 million for economic and community development
$45 million for firefighting facilities
$31 million for police facilities
$24 million for libraries
$20 million for transit
$20 million for the Civic Center complex
$13 million for city maintenance facilities
$9 million for the downtown area.
The plan will pay for necessary public services without trying to pass a politically unpopular tax increase.
“Tax increases are difficult to pass in this climate. The economy’s a little slow,” city manager Jim Couch said.
“We need the resources to repave streets. We cover a lot of area and we have a lot of streets that need resurfacing, and this is an attempt to respond to our citizens’ desires,” Couch said.
The Oklahoma City Council will consider a public forum on the proposals on June 13 and will vote on June 20. If approved, each proposal will be subject to a public vote on September 12.
