OKLAHOMA CITY — In less than three months, a new OKC arena will be voted on by local residents to determine the fate of the current proposal.
The Dec. 12 vote will ask OKC residents if they wish to continue the current one-cent special tax rate for six additional years to fund a new arena.
The current proposal projects the construction costs of a new arena to be at least $900 million with $50 million contributed by Thunder ownership. The opening is planned for the 2029-30 season.
If tax is approved, the long-term future of the Oklahoma City Thunder will be secured. The Thunder have promised they will sign a 25-year lease for the new building. The team’s current lease at Paycom Center expires in 2026.
On Thursday, OKC Mayor David Holt hosted a kickoff event at Scissortail Park for the pro-arena campaign. He re-emphasized the importance of a new arena and why OKC needs to build it to keep the Thunder.
“The truth of the matter is no one thinks we should have this team except for the people in the city, the people who own this team and the people I’m looking at right now,” Holt said.
Afterward, Holt spoke to local media and answered questions about the campaign and the new arena proposal. USA TODAY’s Thunder Wire asked him a handful of questions.
The conversation is lightly edited for clarity.