By Peggy Lowe, Sherman Smith and Steve Kraske
Kansas Reflector
With a year-end deadline looming, the Legislative Coordinating Council will consider approving Sales Tax and Revenue Bond agreements with the Chiefs. Monday is the council’s last scheduled meeting of the year.
With the bonds’ approval, the Kansas City Chiefs could move closer to uprooting six decades of NFL history in Missouri and relocate to Kansas. The deal is said to call for placing the new stadium near the Legends, a regional shopping mall and commercial area in the Village West development in Kansas City, Kansas.
The council will not consider any deals with the Kansas City Royals on Monday.
Legislative and state leaders refused to offer specifics about the meeting and would say only that the Chiefs will be on the agenda. Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, a Republican running for governor, said he has worked diligently to explore the change to bring the Chiefs to Kansas without raising taxes.
“He remains fully committed to these efforts and will continue working tirelessly up to and through the upcoming Legislative Coordinating Council meeting to facilitate this exciting opportunity for Kansas,” said Megan Stookey, Masterson’s spokesperson.
Kansas Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, a Lenexa Democrat, said she was told the council, which is composed of legislative leadership from both parties, would be talking about the Chiefs on Monday — but not the Royals.
“We will be talking about the Chiefs,” Sykes said. “It sounds like there is some proposal that we will be looking at.”
The Kansas Department of Commerce, which handles such deals, posted on Facebook that the state is in active discussions with the Chiefs about “building a new stadium and other facilities in Kansas.”
“No final agreement has been reached, but this would be a massive economic win for Kansas and benefit Kansans for generations to come,” the statement said. “We are aggressively pursuing this opportunity.”
The Kansas City Chiefs didn’t return an email seeking comment.
In an interview Tuesday, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly declined to say whether the Chiefs or Royals were coming to Kansas.
“You really think I’m going to answer that question?” Kelly said.
Missouri Gov, Mike Kehoe said his team remains in frequent communication with the Royals and the Chiefs and wants to keep the teams in Missouri.
“He believes Missouri is the best home for both teams and continues working with the teams to make the right decision to grow and invest in the Show-Me State,” said Gabby Picard, his communications director.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas issued a statement Thursday saying the city doesn’t negotiate in public.
“As the city and our Missouri partners continue discussions with our long-term partners at the Chiefs and the Royals, we remain steadfast in working toward an arrangement in the best interest of our community and the greatest success of our teams on and off the field,” Lucas said.
After a ping-pong of public-financing proposals offered by the two states, the Chiefs face a decision on Kansas’ deal, which could cover up to 70% of the project through bonds. Missouri’s plan offered 50%.
Missouri hit a wall in its bid to keep the Chiefs after voters rejected a sales tax extension in April 2024, throwing in jeopardy a plan that would have helped fund a new $2 billion downtown ballpark for the Royals and $800 million in renovations to Arrowhead Stadium. That’s when Kansas lawmakers aggressively stepped in, authorizing STAR bonds to finance 70% of development projects with a minimum investment of a billion dollars.
Kansas Sen. David Haley, a Democrat from Wyandotte County, said Thursday he’s hearing talk that the team is headed to the Legends.
The site of the new stadium could be west of the Kansas Speedway, at the junction of Interstate 435 and Interstate 70. The potential entertainment district surrounding the stadium would be placed near other existing businesses, like Legends Outlets, the Hollywood Casino, and Sporting KC’s soccer stadium.
The Kansas Legislature during a special session last summer created a financial incentive package designed to lure the Chiefs and Royals across state lines. The law allows for STAR bonds to pay for 70% of a development project with a minimum investment of a billion dollars. The bonds would be paid through liquor sales and retail sales tax revenue in the development area, with a window up to 30 years.
Reaching a deal now could allow a stadium to open by 2031, when the team’s leases with Jackson County, Missouri, expire.
The Chiefs began playing in Kansas City in 1963 after owner Lamar Hunt moved the franchise from Dallas. The team first played at Municipal Stadium, at 22nd Street and Brooklyn Avenue, then moved to Arrowhead in 1971. The Truman Sports Complex, on the city’s east side, is also home to the Royals and the teams share parking lots.
The Chiefs sold naming rights in 2021 to the Government Employees Health Association and the official name became GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Chiefs’ negotiations with Kansas intensified last month when the team floated a request for proposals from firms to design a domed stadium, which would be available for use during the Super Bowl and other winter events. The team was said to be negotiating with NASCAR for land near the Speedway.
Five months earlier, in June, the Chiefs requested an extension to a deadline for a stadium financing package from the state of Kansas, which was an indication the NFL franchise’s move across the state line was a real possibility.
But that same month, Kehoe called lawmakers into a special session to offer a competing stadium financing deal, hoping for something that could keep both the Chiefs and the Royals on that side of the state line. The Missouri Legislature approved the plan, which authorized bonds covering up to half of the cost of new or renovated stadiums, plus up to $50 million in tax credits for each stadium and more aid from local governments.
This story was originally published by Kansas Reflector, a States Newsroom affiliate.
1 comment:
They suck now anyway
Post a Comment