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Chiefs, Royals face uncertain future in Kansas City after stadium tax defeat

Voters rejected a sales-tax measure that would have partially funded a new stadium for the Royals and renovations to Arrowhead Stadium for the Chiefs.

By Mark Maske | 2024-04-04

Arrowhead Stadium is the home of the Kansas City Chiefs. Beyond it is Kauffman Stadium, the home of the Kansas City Royals. (Christopher Smith for The Washington Post)

Kansas City's most prominent professional sports franchises face an uncertain future in the region after Jackson County, Mo., voters rejected a sales-tax measure Tuesday that would have provided public funding to partially pay for renovations to Arrowhead Stadium for the Chiefs and the construction of a new downtown stadium for the Royals.

The defeat was decisive: Just over 58 percent of voters declined to support an initiative that would have provided about $2 billion in stadium funding for the two teams by replacing an existing tax with a similar sales tax of three-eighths of a cent for 40 years.

"We've been talking a lot about the democratic process," Mark Donovan, the president of the Chiefs, said in public remarks late Tuesday to supporters of the measure. "We respect the process. We respect the decision of the Jackson County voters today. We're disappointed. We feel we put forth the best offer for Jackson County. We are ready to extend the long-standing partnership that the teams have enjoyed with this county."

The Chiefs will attempt to become the first NFL team to win three straight Super Bowl titles next season. But even their on-field success did not influence voters to approve the measure.

"We will do and will look to do what is in the best interests of our fans and our organization as we move forward," Donovan said.

The teams play side by side at the Truman Sports Complex, with a lease through January 2031. The Royals are seeking a new ballpark as an alternative to Kauffman Stadium.

"We respect the voters of Jackson County and the results of the election today. ... We will take some time to reflect on and process the outcome and find a path forward that works for the Royals and our fans," John Sherman, the team's chairman and CEO, said in a statement posted to social media.

Mayor Quinton Lucas (D) said the deliberations will continue in an attempt to find stadium-funding solutions that would keep the teams in Kansas City.

"The people of Kansas City and Jackson County love the Chiefs and the Royals," Lucas said in a statement Tuesday. "Today, they rejected plans and processes they found inadequate. Over the months ahead, I look forward to working with the Chiefs and Royals to build a stronger, more open, and collaborative process that will ensure the teams, their events and investments remain in Kansas City for generations to come."

The Chiefs had committed $300 million toward a proposed $800 million renovation of Arrowhead Stadium, the NFL's third-oldest stadium. The Royals would pay at least $1 billion toward a new stadium projected to cost around $2 billion. Kauffman Stadium is Major League Baseball's sixth-oldest ballpark. The failure of the funding initiative prompted speculation that the Royals could be a candidate to relocate to another city and the Chiefs could seek a stadium elsewhere in the region.

Opponents of the measure celebrated its defeat.

"The people took on the billionaires," KC Tenants, a tenants rights and housing advocacy group, wrote in a statement. "The people won. Nothing is inevitable if we organize."


This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/04/03/kansas-city-stadium-tax-chiefs-royals/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wp_homepage


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