Another opportunity to give input on MAPS 4

MAPS 4 is already shaping up to be a different election. Last fall, Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt made an open call where citizens could submit ideas through the city of Oklahoma City’s ideas4maps website, via social media and mail. He encouraged residents to dream big. The result was tens of thousands of submissions with ideas about what will make our city better.

Now, Oklahoma City citizens have a chance to refine the list further. The mayor and City Council have announced a series of open forums to discuss MAPS 4 ideas. The four city meetings will be held in City Council chambers, are designed to gather citizen input and are slated to begin in July.

The meetings are scheduled July 9: Palomar Family Justice Center, parks, sidewalks, bike lanes, trails, streetlights, Freedom Center; July 11: youth centers, beautification, Oklahoma State Fair coliseum, senior wellness centers, animal shelter; July 31: transit, homelessness, Chesapeake Energy Arena and NBA enhancements, diversion hub; and Aug. 6: mental health; multipurpose stadium; innovation district.

Following this next round of citizen input, the City Council will narrow the proposals into a final package that is expected to be voted on by the public in December.

Several social service projects, geared toward addressing serious challenges in our community, are included in the items for discussion. Recent polling has indicated there’s high interest from voters in including projects that better address our community’s needs in affordable housing, homelessness, domestic violence, mental health and youth services.

Read the full article at The Journal Record