A ballot initiative in Oklahoma City to extend a 1-cent sales tax which will be used on multiple projects and developments in the downtown Oklahoma City area has passed.

According to the Oklahoma County election board, the 1-cent tax extension known as Metropolitan Area Projects 3 passed with 54.3 percent of the vote.

Oklahoma City Mayor Mike Cornett said voters should be proud of their decision.

“We will celebrate tonight, but the work begins tomorrow,” Cornett said. “We are going to build a city our children and grandchildren can be proud of.”

Some of the projects proposed include a new convention center in Oklahoma City, a modernized central park, the creation of a new rail-based transit system and improvements to the Oklahoma Riverfront, among other things. Approval of MAPS 3 also creates a new citizen advisory board that will oversee all projects before the they are sent to the Oklahoma City Council for approval.

MAPS 3 faced opposition from emergency responders who said proposals should include an increase in the Oklahoma City police force and improved firefighting efforts to cover the areas where the newly proposed developments will be placed.

The sales tax from the 2001 MAPS for Kids is set to expire April 1, when the MAPS 3 tax will go into effect for seven years and nine months.

MAPS 3 Results:

YES - 40,956 (54.3%)

NO - 34,465 (45.7%)