KMT states:
3. New Maps Projects Will Drive the City's Operating Budgets Deeper in the Hole.
The KMT site states that “All projects are for capital expenditures, with no provision for increased operating or maintenance costs.” I would challenge the opposition to MAPS 3 to approach the City’s Finance Department or Planning Department and merely ask for current estimates for how these new assets will be maintained. Do you really think that you’d account for maintenance in the tax numbers? These assets will be used and administered by some authority, public or private for the benefit of Oklahoma City.
Do we need more public safety? I feel definitely so regarding police, and perhaps with fire. However, efforts to further develop our city’s infrastructure, specifically from the core outward, enable more coverage in terms of density and focus without the burden of providing city coverage in suburban and rural areas. There are numerous ways to accomplish this expansion of services, but we should all be able to agree that public goods that can benefit many and produce return in excess of their cost will pay for themselves by enhancing the value of our city.
