Last Updated on February 7, 2020, 12:51 PM | Published: February 7, 2020
The Oklahoma City Council is calling for city residents to fill 50 spots on public oversight committees for MAPS 4 projects as they develop.
City leaders are encouraging all residents who are interested in the MAPS 4 Citizens Advisory Board or the six other sub-committees to apply using this online form HERE (scroll down the page).
“Direct oversight from non-elected residents has been integral to the success of MAPS for a quarter-century,” said Mayor David Holt in a text message exchange. “I strongly encourage people to apply if they are interested.”
“The projects have been decided, but as we always said, there are countless, more granular decisions yet to be made,” Holt said. “That’s why serving on the advisory board or simply staying engaged with the advisory board process is something I encourage everyone to do….”
The mayor will appoint members of the committees with the consent of the City Council.
The Board and subcommittees will be subject to Oklahoma’s Open Records Act and Open Meeting Act.
Citizens Advisory Board
The MAPS 4 Citizens Advisory Board will be made up of one City Council member and ten other residents.
The most critical function they will have is to make recommendations about which projects to start first as the new excise tax begins to build in city coffers.
According to the resolution passed in the City Council meeting Tuesday, the Board will review the various projects and submit their recommendations to the City Council about “sequence or timing of commencement, continuance, and/or completion of the projects.”
It will also make recommendations to the City Council about “proposed design, phasing, and construction of the projects.”
Six standing subcommittees
The mayor will name two members of the Board to be the Chair and Vice-Chair of each subcommittee.
Five to seven members will be chosen for each of the subcommittees.
The Board’s chair and City Council member may serve as non-voting members of each of the subcommittees.
Here are the six subcommittees and the projects they will oversee.
- Neighborhoods
- Connectivity
- Venues
- Community
- Innovation District
- Civil Rights Center
About MAPS 4
MAPS 4 is a debt-free public improvement program funded by a voter-approved temporary penny sales tax. It will raise a projected $978 million from April 2020 to March 2028.
Hearings were held in the summer of 2019 in unprecedented day-long sessions to let residents pitch their particular projects they wanted to see done by MAPS 4. Our coverage of these meetings can be found HERE, HERE, and HERE.
Founder, publisher, and editor of Oklahoma City Free Press. Brett continues to contribute reports and photography to this site as he runs the business.
