Missouri governor signs package to help finance Chiefs, Royals stadium projects
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed a legislative package Saturday intended to persuade the Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City Royals to remain in the state amid ongoing discussion of the teams' futures along the Missouri-Kansas state line.
The Chiefs and Royals have played in side-by-side stadiums on the east side of Kansas City (Mo.) for five decades and shared a lease at the Truman Sports Complex that runs through Jan. 31, 2031. As the expiration date nears, legislators in Missouri and Kansas have battled to present the best financial framework to attract the teams to their respective sides of the state line. The Chiefs are considering renovating Arrowhead Stadium or building a state-of-the-art venue, likely a dome. The Royals, who play at Kauffman Stadium, intend to be in a new ballpark before the lease ends.
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The new legislation from Missouri, approved by lawmakers at a special session last Wednesday, authorizes the state to cover up to 50 percent of stadium construction costs through state-issued bonds, and it authorizes the use of up to $50 million in tax credits for each stadium. Local governments would also have to provide an unspecified amount of aid to help finance stadium projects that both teams have voiced interest in.
Last year, the Chiefs and Royals put forward a plan to voters in Jackson County, Mo., agreeing to remain in the county for at least the next 25 years if voters agreed to an extension of a three-eighths-cent sales tax to help finance a renovation of Arrowhead Stadium and the construction of a new downtown ballpark. However, voters rejected the extension of the sales tax, further raising questions about the teams' futures in Kansas City.
Then, legislators in Kansas added pressure by approving state bonds last summer that would cover up to 70 percent of new stadium costs in their state. The bonds expire June 30, an unofficial deadline for both franchises to decide their futures, but could be renewed for another year.
In a statement to The Associated Press, the Chiefs described the recent Missouri legislative vote as a 'significant step forward' that enables the team to continue exploring options to remain in the state.
Kansas City (Mo.) Mayor Quinton Lucas, a lifelong Chiefs fan, said in August he believes the teams will remain in Missouri.
'The way that we do our stadium obligations in Missouri is that they are publicly owned as compared to what you see in Kansas,' Lucas said in August. 'That makes a very big difference (in) tax implications long term. If you look at the economics, if you look at the plans the teams have said before, both teams will be in Kansas City, Mo., for years to come.'
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