MAPS is Oklahoma City’s visionary capital improvement program for new and upgraded sports, recreation, entertainment, cultural and convention facilities. MAPS was funded by a five-year, one-cent sales tax passed by Oklahoma City voters in December 1993. The initiative called for the renovation and/or construction of nine major projects in Oklahoma City’s central business district. Since MAPS passage in 1993, Oklahoma City has seen more than $5 billion in new public and private investment throughout the city.
The nine MAPS projects took 10 years to complete, much of that time coexisting with Oklahoma City’s efforts to rebuild after the tragic 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. The result is a city that has gone through a major renaissance, risen in the face of tragedy and emerged a city filled with confidence, momentum and pride.
After the success of the original MAPS program, Oklahoma City citizens were ready to take the city’s transformation a step further. In November 2001, voters passed a combination sales tax and bond initiative known as MAPS (Metropolitan Area Projects) for Kids.
The initiative provided two sources of revenue that would help both the Oklahoma City public schools, which is the largest district in the City, and the other 23 districts that serve City of Oklahoma City residents. This temporary sales tax was collected for seven years, with 70 percent disbursed to the Oklahoma City School District and 30 percent to the Suburban School Districts. Many of the major construction projects are complete, and every school building in Oklahoma City’s school district is scheduled to be renovated or replaced by the time the program draws to a close in 2012. In addition to construction projects, the program also includes major transportation and technology upgrades.
MAPS for Kids has been a unique collaboration between the City of Oklahoma City, the Oklahoma City Public Schools and the 24 public suburban school districts within the Greater Oklahoma City area. It is the first time in the nation that a major city and a school district have cooperated to reform local schools.
In late 2009, Oklahoma City leadership brought another comprehensive city improvement package to voters with a list of eight new projects. With a projected cost of $777 million, Oklahoma City voters agreed and voted “yes” to the extension of an existing one-cent sales tax to fund these projects.
Known as MAPS 3, this program will build a new 70-acre downtown park, new convention center, downtown modern transit, more than 50 miles of biking and walking trails, improvements to the Oklahoma River and State Fairgrounds and several senior health and wellness centers. More importantly, MAPS 3 will continue to position Oklahoma City as a hub for sports, recreation, learning, cultural and convention facilities.
The tax began on April 1, 2010, and will be collected for seven years and nine months. The completion of the projects will be overseen by a Citizens’ Advisory Board.
Oklahoma City voters approved the sales tax to fund MAPS 4 in a special election on Dec. 10, 2019, moving forward with a unique and ambitious plan to transform our community. On Aug. 16, 2022, Oklahoma City Council voted to revise the MAPS 4 implementation plan, increasing the estimated revenue projected for MAPS 4 by $100 million to almost $1.1 billion. The temporary penny sales tax funding MAPS 4 began April 1, 2020, and ends in 2028.
More than 70% of MAPS 4 funding is dedicated to neighborhood and human needs. The rest is for quality of life and job-creating initiatives.
Each project will be refined in the coming years as the process unfolds, much like the previous MAPS programs.
