OKC Mayor Holt touts tourism, industry wins in State of the City address

Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt touted victories and ongoing developments for the city during his State of the City address Tuesday ahead of an upcoming election that could boost the local tourism industry.

The annual speech was delivered to a packed audience hosted by the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber inside the Painted Sky Ballroom at the Oklahoma City Convention Center. The mayor detailed a lengthy list of updates on various projects and initiatives throughout Oklahoma City, which he described as the result of continuous efforts from its leadership, businesspeople and residents alike.

Much of Holt's speech focused on the momentum of the city's growth and high-profile events, a trajectory he repeatedly credited to the legacy of the historic MAPS program, which has devoted a one-cent sales tax toward funding capital improvement projects throughout OKC. The voter-approved plan was initially proposed to revitalize downtown after the state's economic crisis of the 1980s, and voters have repeatedly passed new initiatives under the MAPS program in the past three decades.

"Our modern renaissance was born of desperation in 1993, but now it is fueled by success, one victory built on the next, and today, our city is conditioned to see the next big thing," Holt said. "Not only do we keep seeking it, we keep finding it."

Holt first thanked the city's residents for approving last December to extend the one-cent sales tax for construction of a new downtown arena to host the Oklahoma City Thunder NBA team. The mayor noted that the proposal passed with approval of more than 70% of voters, a margin that was very similar to what passed the MAPS 4 initiative in late 2019.

Holt then lauded the June announcement of proposals for the city to host canoeing and softball competitions for the 2028 Olympics. The city's softball stadium first opened in 1987, but was most recently expanded with nearly $30 million in improvements through the local Better Streets, Safer City initiative passed in 2017. The city's Riversport whitewater rafting facility was completed in 2016 under the MAPS 3 banner.

"Six years ago, over dinner at a restaurant about a mile from here, my friend and then-Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti first asked what I would think about hosting the Los Angeles Olympic Canoe Slalom events here in OKC," Holt said. "There will be a time and place to tell the story of everything that happened in between, but suffice it to say, we couldn't have reached this point without our friends and partners in Los Angeles, including (former) Mayor Garcetti, Mayor Karen Bass and especially LA28 leader Casey Wasserman and his team."

August election on hotel tax increase 'a no-brainer' in supporting tourism, mayor says

The city's growing reputation as a tourism destination is what makes an upcoming election for a hotel tax increase especially important, Holt said.

On Aug. 27, residents will be asked to approve changing Oklahoma City's hotel tax from 5.5% to 9.25%, an increase of 26% over current total charges. The city council unanimously approved sending the proposal to the ballot earlier this summer, allowing voters to decide on a tax hike that could fund the promotion of destination districts and improvements of the local convention center and the OKC Fairgrounds.

Holt noted that the tax hike also is overwhelmingly supported by the city's hoteliers, who have told council members that the city is missing out on events due to the city being outspent by other municipalities. Currently below those of peer cities, Oklahoma City's hotel tax was last raised in 2004 and saw 89.4% approval from voters that December.

"It's a pretty simple reason for such a high level of support: You don't pay this tax," Holt told the audience Tuesday. "We tax visitors and we use their taxes to attract more visitors, and all of these visitors significantly help pay for city services they barely use. This is just about the best deal there is."

"This is kind of a no-brainer on every level, but we never take anything for granted."

2025 proposals for public transit system, city bond issue 'critical' to growth

Holt then explained two other upcoming election proposals centered on establishing a regional public transit system and addressing the city's infrastructure.

For many years, the Regional Transportation Authority of Central Oklahoma has been developing plans for a commuter rail line linking Edmond, Oklahoma City and Norman. The agency, chaired by former Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry, likely will place a proposal on the ballot in the three cities during the first half of 2025.

"This is a vital conversation for us to have because it sets us up for the next generation of growth," Holt said. "If you're not already tired of traffic, you're going to be, and when you are, it will already be too late. We recognized this coming need nearly 20 years ago, and that's how long this planning has already lasted. These systems take a long time to develop, fund and implement, but the RTA is closer than ever to a major step in the process."

OKC survey of city services: Residents love the city; hate the streets

Voters also will be asked in the latter half of 2025 to consider a bond election similar to the Better Streets, Safer City 2017 initiative, which allocated nearly $800 million toward street repairs across the city.

At the time of that bond passage, the average score for the city’s Pavement Condition Index (PCI) was 63, below the satisfactory rating of 70. But “this coming year, we expect to finally reach 70,” Holt said. “That’s a big movement in the average in a relatively short amount of time, considering the size of our inventory.”

Oklahoma City has ranked as the 20th-largest city in the United States for several years, and officials acknowledge that, as the city's size and population grows, so do the demands on the city's infrastructure.

“We come back to you on a regular cadence to authorize another round of core infrastructure work, and our voters passed bond issues in 2000, 20007 and 2017,” Holt said. “It’s now 2024, and it will be time again soon to come back to you with another list of projects.”

In the meantime, planners expect to break ground on multiple MAPS 4 initiatives throughout the city in this year's second half. The ambitious $1.1 billion program is funding a total of 16 projects, including homelessness services, post-incarceration programming, youth and senior well-being, civil rights monuments and a new fairgrounds coliseum.

"There is not a city in America more united, more dynamic and more relentlessly focused on improvement — sometimes incremental, sometimes dramatic, but always improving," Holt said. "All OKC does is win."

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC mayor touts tourism, industry wins in State of the City address