Kansas City Chiefs Contemplate New Domed Stadium Amid State Bidding War
Kansas City Chiefs Contemplate New Domed Stadium Amid State Bidding War
The Kansas City Chiefs are moving from Missouri to Kansas after securing a deal for a new stadium.A Kansas legislative committee approved a subsidy deal to help finance the new stadium.
The Kansas City Chiefs will move across state lines from Missouri to Kansas after the team made a deal to build a new football stadium in the Sunflower State with the help of government tax revenue.
A committee of top Kansas lawmakers approved the subsidy deal with the Chiefs in a Dec. 22 meeting.
After meeting in executive session to hear the details of the deal in secret, the Legislative Coordinating Council voted unanimously to “approve the STAR bond and STAR bond district for the sport stadium to support the Kansas City Chiefs.”
Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt and president Mark Donovan were both in attendance, but did not speak during the public portion of the meeting.
Additional information is expected to be released at a 3 p.m. economic development announcement from the governor. Under the stadium subsidy law, the agreement becomes a public record once it is executed.
How sales tax revenue will help fund new Chiefs stadium
The legal framework for a deal was passed by politicians in a June 2024 special session. It uses specialized Sales Tax and Revenue Bonds, more commonly known as STAR bonds, which help fund economic development projects using sales tax revenue generated in and around a taxing district it creates.
The law authorizes bonds to be used for stadiums and training facilities and can finance up to 70% of a multi-billion dollar stadium.
Under the law, the Kansas Department of Commerce — led by secretary and Lt. Gov. David Toland — was authorized to negotiate with professional sports teams. The final authority to approve a deal was delegated to the Legislative Coordinating Council.
Kansas City Royals do not have a ballpark deal with Kansas
The Kansas City Royals did not have a deal on the table for consideration at the Dec. 22 meeting of the Legislative Coordinating Council. It was the last scheduled LCC meeting for the year, meaning the baseball team will not meet the Dec. 31 deadline imposed by the group lawmakers.
However, the deadline under the law is June 30, so legally a deal could still be made if lawmakers are willing to consider one after their self-imposed deadline.
(This story was updated to add new information.)