Voters in Jackson County, Missouri rejected a 40-year sales tax that would pay for stadium renovations for the Kansas City Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium and a new stadium for the Kansas City Royals.
That rejection has lead to increase talks of the franchises moving out of Missouri.
According to The Kansas City Star, “efforts are underway” to bring one or both of the teams across state lines to Kansas. Former Kansas House Speak Ron Ryckman Jr. is working with “mystery stakeholders” to lead the effort in bringing the Chiefs and Royals to the Sun Flower State.
“Jackson County fumbled. Now there will be a mad scramble for the ball, and we’re in the best position for a scoop and score,” Ryckman told The Star.
When the state of Kansas legalized sports betting in 2022, lawmakers agreed to set aside 80 percent of revenue for a fund that would help to entice a professional sports team(s). The fund currently sits at $4.1 million and is projected to climb to $10 million by 2025.
Now, the state will obviously need a lot more to build an NFL stadium, which would like cost billions but the Star reports that Kansas could utilize sales tax revenue aka STAR bonds, which let municipalities finance major projects with bonds that are later paid back by future sales tax revenue.
“I’m sure we would love to have them because they’re our teams, right?” Kansas House Majority Leader Chris Croft said. “But at the same time, we want to make sure we’re doing the right thing for the state of Kansas.”
In February, the Chiefs announced plans for a $800 million renovation to Arrowhead Stadium contingent on Wednesday’s vote. The measure failed after 58 percent of Jackson County voters rejected the proposed sales tax.
The Chiefs’ lease at the Truman Sports Complex expires on Jan. 31, 2031.
