A record $2.7 billion capital improvements bond issue in Oklahoma City was endorsed by overwhelming margins Oct. 14. Six of the 11 propositions were endorsed by at least four-fifths of the voters, and the other five were embraced by at least threefourths of the voters.
The bonds will finance 547 projects, 433 of which are investments in the city’s streets, bridges and traffic improvements. The proposals included: Proposition 1 ($1.35 billion for streets and sidewalks): 84.7% of the 34,046 votes cast, the most for any of the proposals. These bonds will finance 382 street projects: 184 arterial resurfacing projects, 133 residential resurfacing projects, 27 street widening projects, 25 sidewalk projects, and 13 street enhancement projects.
Proposition 2 ($90.595 million for 25 bridge projects): 85% of the 33,970 votes tabulated.
Proposition 3 ($81M for 25 intersection improvement projects, including new traffic signals and upgrades): 82.3% of the 33,955 votes counted.
Proposition 4 ($47M for city maintenance, data, and municipal services support facilities): 77.7% of the 33,892 votes cast.
Proposition 5 ($175M for economic and community development): 75.5% of the 33,942 votes cast.
Proposition 6 ($414.29M for 31 parks and facilities projects and one trail): 78.7% of the 34,001 votes cast. For example, the Martin Park Nature Center will get two new pedestrian bridges to improve user and maintenance access to areas of the park separated by creeks; another boardwalk that will be an extension of the Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant trail; perimeter and trail fencing; and pond improvements. Will Rogers Gardens and H.B. Parsons Fish Hatchery also will be among the parks receiving attention.
Proposition 7 ($52.48M for libraries and the Clara Luper Civil Rights Center exhibit): 80.6% of the 33,727 votes counted. These will include exterior improvements to the Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library, roof renovations at four libraries, and expansion of the Ralph Ellison Library.
Proposition 8 ($140.44M for municipal drainage improvements): 83.8% of the 33,733 votes counted.
Proposition 9 ($129.675M for public transportation and parking facilities, including a new downtown parking garage to replace the Myriad Convention Center parking facility, and modernization of EMBARK’s transit fleet): 76% of the 33,626 votes counted.
Proposition 10 ($107.345M for Police Department, municipal courts and family justice facilities): 76.5% of the 33,650 votes cast.
Proposition 11 ($130M for new fire stations): 85% of the 33,748 votes cast.
All of the general obligation bonds are to be retired with property taxes within 25 years except for the economic and community development bonds; those are 30-year bonds but carry this caveat: taxpayers will not have to pay more than 5 mills on the dollar to pay off that debt.
The bond package will not increase Oklahoma City’s average property tax rate, city officials said. It will remain unchanged at 16 mills, the same as it has been since the 1980s, because old bonds will be paid off as new bonds go on the books.
“All we do is win in OKC,” Mayor David Holt said. “Starting with the passage of MAPS in 1993 and including Tuesday’s bond issue vote, the City of Oklahoma City is now 15-0 in sales tax, hotel tax, or property tax initiatives that were focused just on infrastructure of some kind, capital projects with a total public investment nearing $10 billion. The people of Oklahoma City are committed to investing in ourselves, and we have seen a return on that investment many times over.
“From the Thunder [professional basketball team] to the new arena to the Olympics, none of that makes a lot of sense if you can’t fix your potholes, and we can now do that … thanks to the confidence from the people of Oklahoma City.
“Investments in streets, intersections, bridges and drainage are essential to keeping Oklahoma City safe, connected and ready for growth,” Public Works Director Debbie Miller said. “The bond package will also strengthen our economy by creating good jobs and supporting local contractors who help build and maintain our city every day.”
Planning is underway. Construction on the myriad projects is expected to begin in 2026 and continue through about 2036, city officials reported.