Ahead of a special session of the Kansas Legislature on June 18, Tyrone Garner, mayor of Kansas City, Kan., has announced his support of plans to lure the Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City Royals to move to the state from their homes across the border in Missouri.
“We want to keep two good organizations right here in the Kansas City metropolitan area. We want those teams to know that it may not have worked out on the Missouri side,” Garner said. “So we’d like to give you options on the Kansas side.”
The Kansas City Chiefs are looking to leave Missouri after a sales tax initiative that would have helped fund renovations on the 52-year-old Arrowhead Stadium was rejected. Lawmakers in Kansas have been anticipating this opportunity, inserting language into the legislation that legalized sports betting in 2022 to create a fund to attract major sports teams.
The special session is dedicated to cutting taxes. Still, lawmakers have shown interest in passing legislation that would allow the use of bonds to finance the construction of two stadiums for the major league franchises.
The plan can yield up to $1 billion to pay for the construction of the stadiums, partly funded by bonds secured by sports betting and lottery tax revenues. However, most funding will come from STAR bonds, backed by future sales tax revenues from the stadiums and surrounding developments.
STAR bonds don’t need voter approval, so lawmakers can put the plan into place immediately if any measure is approved. Garner said Wyandotte County is “open for business” for the major league franchises.
“We want to keep two good organizations right here in the Kansas City metropolitan area. We want those teams to know that it may not have worked out on the Missouri side, so we’d like to give you options on the Kansas side,” Garner added.
