New MAPS Website- MAPS Facts.org

[Larry OKC]

Well you're wrong there. "Continuing the momentum" means escaping the recession, continuing to rank at the top of every list of rankings that are put out, and competing for jobs in a tough economy. That's what it's all about.

I agree that MAPS 3 would be a significant "booster shot" if you will, regarding momentum. Here is a quote by the Chamber's Mr. Williams:

NewsOK

MAPS 3 proposal generates debate (Oklahoman, 11/25/09)

Roy Williams, president of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, said Oklahoma City’s momentum isn’t about continuing a tax; it is about continuing to improve the city through initiatives like MAPS that have earned the city accolades in national publications such as Forbes, BusinessWeek and others.

“That kind of momentum comes along once in a lifetime. That’s the kind of momentum that is taking place in Oklahoma City and is being recognized nationally and internationally,” Williams said. “Every city in the United States is envious of what is going on in Oklahoma City right now, and that is the kind of momentum we are looking at continuing.”

The two are intertwined since they are talking about paying for this momentum with the tax. If it wasn’t about the tax, there wouldn’t be a need for the election. For him to say this isn’t about “continuing a tax” simply defies explanation.

Your point on the tax is utter semantics. You know that there is no tax increase by continuing a tax that we have paid since 1993.

I agree it is semantics, and it is a game that the City is playing in trying to spin a tax increase as anything but. The bolded part is factually incorrect. The 1 penny sales tax does NOT go all the way back to 1993 (MAPS 1). I thought that too but ran across info that showed that there was a 2 1/2 year gap between MAPS and MAPS for Kids. There was a 3/4 cent tax that lasted about that length, but it didn't start and stop neatly. There was about a 3 month gap on the MAPS side and a 3 month overlap on the MAPS for Kids side.

This was alluded to in the same article as Mr. William's quote:

In fact, the MAPS penny sales tax has expired before. There was no MAPS sales tax between July 1999, when the first MAPS tax expired, and January 2002, when the MAPS For Kids tax began, according to city records.

...not that public safety still has anything to do with MAPS...

I agree. Did I say anywhere that it did?

Anybody who has ever referred to the Ford Center is a highly ig'nant individual and that's all there is to that.

I agree. The Mayor has pointed out the Cox has "Convention Center" in it's name (this happened when the Myriad got renamed the Cox Convention Center), he said we don't really have a convention center but a sports arena with some meeting rooms added to it. I don't really see the Ford as being a C.C. either but that isn't what the 1993 MAPS ballot states and the Mayor too (see below). So then, are you saying that the good folks at the City (that created the MAPS ballot) and the Mayor are "highly ig'nant"?

I'm not saying that the Cox and Ford are Convention Centers but I can certainly see where the 3 convention centers thing comes from.

The money that is being used to completely renovate the Myriad Gardens and the surrounding downtown streets is coming from the TIF district around the Devon Tower project. Typically when a $750 million skyscraper is built the TIF around it goes to utilities for such a large project, but instead Devon is not taking that money and has instead requested that it be put back into the downtown community to make various improvements. The city has loaned the City the TIF money upfront in order to get the improvements made before the tower is finished rather than several years after the TIF is collecting property tax from the tower.

So yes, Devon has funded the Myriad renovations as well as the downtown streetscape projects. And then for the opposition to confuse this with a Devon demand for a downtown park isn't just insulting to Devon (whose generosity is completely renovating the Myriad gardens and every downtown street) but it's also incredibly uneducated. What more do you expect from the opposition, besides incredibly uneducated conclusions and offensive remarks against downtown leaders?

Looks like we are in agreement now, if by "Devon has funded" you mean it is basically acting like a bank or a finance company. They are simply providing a loan (but this is different from your original statement).

3rd of all the downtown park is not a request by Devon Energy, that is the Myriad Garden renovations, which Devon is paying for themselves. ...