MAPS
Oklahoma City faces an upcoming proposal to further inner city developement. This particular proposal is known as MAPS 3. Similar proposals (Maps 1&2) have brought wealth and prosperity to Oklahoma City residents through the birth of the Oklahoma City Thunder and the world class regatta river. Oklahoma City continues to climb up the social latter in terms of amenities offered, and MAPS 3 would help propel oklahoma to a classy, first rate city.
The proposal includes:
A 70 acre central park that woud link downtown to the Oklahoma River
A rail-based transit system
A new convention center
70 miles of sidewalk
50 miles of athletic trails linking three Oklahoma lakes
A new whitewater course on the Oklahoma River
Five health and water aquatic centers for seniors
Improvements to the state fair grounds
However many people oppose the proposal, saying it would raise taxes and take attention away from the suffering municipal workers of the city. The tax increase would be a 'one penny sales tax' increasing the city sales tax by one penny on every purchase/sale made. Oklahoma experiemented with this from 1993-1999 and raised over 300 million dollars. The new tax would last for seven years and nine months, it would bring in an estimated 400 million dollars to help fund the MAPS 3 proposal.
Additional information on MAPS can be found at the following websites.
http://www.okc.gov/maps3/
http://okc.about.com/od/citygovernment/a/okcmaps3.htm
http://www.maps3.org/factsheet.html
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