Funding An Improved Quality of Life – Look at Oklahoma City

In the early 1990s, the leaders of Oklahoma City were faced with a decision: to compete or retreat. The city was in the wake of the oil bust and had lost a bid for a United Airlines maintenance facility. The decision was made to compete, and a visionary project was launched - one that changed the face of Oklahoma City forever. That plan is Metropolitan Area Projects (MAPS), an ambitious program that's one of the most aggressive and successful public-private partnerships ever undertaken in the U.S. The amount spent in this public/private partnership exceeds $3 billion.

MAPS was funded by a temporary one-cent sales tax approved by city voters in December 1993. The tax expired on July 1, 1999. During the 66 months it was in effect, more than $309 million was collected. In addition, the deposited tax revenue earned about $54 million in interest. All of the public projects were funded by a self-imposed, five-year, one-cent sales tax. The tax was extended by a vote of the people for six months to cover cost increases during construction. The tax is complete and the projects are all debt-free.

In December 2009, a record number of Oklahoma City voters went to the polls and voted YES to continue Oklahoma City's bright future through the $777 million MAPS 3 initiative. MAPS 3 includes eight projects that will work to increase the quality of life for all Oklahoma City citizens, as well as create economic growth through private investment and the creation of jobs. The eight projects include improvements to the Oklahoma River, 57 miles of new walking and biking trails, improvements to State Fair Park, sidewalks, senior health and wellness aquatic centers, a new convention center, a world-class destination park and a modern downtown streetcar.

The temporary one-cent sales tax for MAPS 3 began April 1, 2010 and will be in effect for 93 months.

For more information about MAPS go to http://www.okcchamber.com/page.asp?atomid=290

Training scholarships to match employee skills with employer needs

Retraining to acquire skills for in demand jobs is one solution for reducing unemployment. While it may seem as though no one is hiring, in fact there is sometimes a disconnect between the skills employers need and the skills workers have. This WorkSource Program, which is coming to an end, was funded by the The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.