The measure has been hotly debated by council members and committees charged with planning for the MAPS projects after some say voters were told the convention center would be $280 million, while others insist it was clear from the start that $30 million of that amount was intended to relocate a utility substation.

MAPS consultant Mike Mize, with Architectural Design Group, presented three options to council members on how to divvy up the roughly $280 million for the convention center.

The first option, and the one endorsed by the MAPS Convention Center Subcommittee and the MAPS Citizens Advisory Board, called for a $282 million center with 530,000 overall square feet. A second option, which passed with an amendment, initially called for a $252 million convention center and $30 million designated for an infrastructure contingency fund. A third option, which Mize called a compromise, would have allotted $267 million to the convention center and then added $15 million in additional funds to the downtown park project to increase that project’s budget to $147 million.

The second option passed 5-4. The amendment to the plan, by Ward 4 Councilman Pete White, called for the $30 million to be placed in a contingency fund and earmarked for infrastructure. The measure would charge city staff, the advisory board and the parks subcommittee to come up with options for dealing with the substation and transmission lines.

Ward 8 Councilman Patrick Ryan found that option unacceptable. He proposed not collecting the $30 million if it would not be spent on the convention center.

“If we don’t have to relocate that substation for the convention center, we either spend it on the convention center or give it back to voters,” he said.  “We don’t have the right to hold it back.”

City Manager Jim Couch admitted the $280 million price tag was touted for the convention center, but said an asterisk indicated that $30 million was to relocate an OG&E substation and transmission lines.

“Some of the campaign materials did say $280 million for the convention center,” Couch said.

With no need to move the substation to make way for the convention center, Couch said the facility will still need to be screened, but remain operational. He said there also are issues of power lines that run across the proposed park and transmission lines that run up and down Robinson Avenue that will need to be removed. Paying for those, however, might not be entirely the city’s responsibility. Couch said it would cost an estimated $300,000-$400,000 to screen the substation, and another $5 million to take care of the transmission lines. He said OG&E could bear some of those costs.

“I don’t believe that’s all a MAPS 3 cost,” he said. “We haven’t negotiated that.”

When convention center site selection consultant Populous determined that the Core to Shore south site was not the best place for the center, the $30 million came into question. Mize said he was told from the start by city officials to work with the $250 million amount for the convention center.

The convention center subcommittee and citizens advisory board restored the amount in the convention center budget to $280 million for their planning purposes moving forward.

Ward 1 Councilman Gary Marrs, who served as the council member of the MAPS committees, told convention center subcommittee members at a recent meeting to go ahead and work with the $280 million, and then let the council decide the final budget. At the council meeting, he endorsed leaving the $30 million in the convention center budget. He said he has never seen a city project have funds yanked before planning and work has even begun.

“Who knows whether the site selected for the convention center doesn’t need $30 million for whatever they’re going to find underneath the ground,” he said.

Those voting for the measure were Mayor Mick Cornett, Ward 7 Councilman Skip Kelly, Ward 6 Councilwoman Meg Salyer, Ward 2 Councilman Ed Shadid and White. Those opposed were Ward 5 Councilman David Greenwell, Marrs, Ward 3 Councilman Larry McAtee and Ryan.