ROYALS, SAYING OUR CITIZENS DESERVE NOTHING LESS. WITH A DEAL AGREED TO, WE’RE GETTING ANSWERS ON THE FUNDING TO MAKE ALL OF THIS HAPPEN. KMBC9 DEREK GRAVES SAT DOWN WITH GOVERNOR LAURA KELLY TODAY IN TOPEKA. KANSAS GOVERNOR LAURA KELLY AND CO HAVE GOTTEN THE CHIEFS CHAIRMAN AND CEO, CLARK HUNT, TO BRING HIS TEAM ACROSS THE STATE LINE IN 2031. THE CHIEFS PLAN TO KICK OFF A $3 BILLION DOMED STADIUM IN WYANDOTTE COUNTY. THE CHIEFS HEADQUARTERS IN PRACTICE FACILITY WILL ALSO MOVE TO OLATHE. BOTH SITES WILL HAVE AN ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT AROUND THEM. KELLY SAYS THIS SENDS A MESSAGE ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THERE’S SOMETHING HAPPENING IN KANSAS MIGHT BE IN THEIR BEST INTEREST TO TAKE A LOOK AND SEE WHETHER THERE’S A SPOT FOR THEM HERE. THE DEAL IS ON A 6040 PUBLIC PRIVATE SPLIT. KANSAS IS ON THE HOOK FOR $1.8 BILLION. THE STATE WILL PAY IT THROUGH STAR BONDS. THE BONDS ARE REPAID THROUGH ADDITIONAL SALES TAX CREATED FROM THE DEVELOPMENT. IN AN OUTLYING DISTRICT AROUND THE STADIUM AND ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICTS. CRITICS HAVE CALLED IT A BAD USE OF PUBLIC MONEY. KELLY SAYS THE MONEY WOULDN’T BE THERE WITHOUT THE DEVELOPMENT. WE’RE ONLY USING NEW MONEY, YOU KNOW. WE’RE NOT. WE’RE NOT TAKING FROM SCHOOLS OR TAKING FROM OUR ROADS OR TAKING FROM ANYTHING ELSE. THIS UNOFFICIAL MAP FROM THE STATE OF KANSAS SHOWS WHAT A STAR BONDS DISTRICT FOR THE TWO DEVELOPMENTS COULD LOOK LIKE. IT COVERS ALL OF WYANDOTTE IN PART OF JOHNSON COUNTY. THE DISTRICT WILL INCLUDE WHERE THE DEVELOPMENTS ARE, BUT KELLY SAID SHE ALSO THINKS THE DISTRICT WILL INCLUDE BONNER SPRINGS, LENEXA AND SHAWNEE. DESPITE NO NEW DEVELOPMENTS COMING TO THOSE TOWNS. WHEN THE REVENUE GOES UP DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE STADIUM, THEN IT WILL BE THAT TAX THAT’S SIPHONED OFF THAT DOESN’T BASICALLY DOESN’T COME INTO THE STATE THAT WILL THEN GO TO PAY OFF THE BONDS. I DID ASK GOVERNOR KELLY ABOUT THE STATE’S INTENTIONS TO STILL TRY AND BRING THE ROYALS ACROSS THE STATE LINE. SHE DECLINED TO ANSWER, SAYING RIGHT NOW IS STILL ALL ABOUT THE KANSAS CITY CHIEFS IN TOPEKA. ERIC GRAVES KMBC NINE NEWS. NOW, THE LEGENDS WERE FUNDED THROUGH A STAR BOND PAID OFF TWO YEARS EARLY. GOVERN
‘No commitments have been locked in’: Mayor of KCK, Wyandotte County talks Chiefs’ move, planning
Updated: 2:02 PM CST Dec 26, 2025
The mayor and CEO of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, addressed questions about the Kansas City Chiefs’ relocation to Kansas in a social media video Friday. Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt, in a joint news conference with Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, announced Monday that the Chiefs will leave Arrowhead Stadium in 2031 for a new stadium across the state line. A proposal for the new stadium indicates that 65% of the project will be funded by Kansas STAR bonds. But it’s not a done deal yet, said Geoffrey Propheter, an associate professor of public affairs at the University of Colorado Denver, who has written extensively on stadium financing. Details still need to be worked out before the plan moves forward. Christal Watson, mayor/CEO of KCK and Wyandotte County, said she wanted to be transparent and address looming questions about the relocation. “First and foremost, I want to be very clear: At the local level, no final decisions have been made,” Watson said. “No agreements have been finalized. No commitments have been locked in.” Watson said county officials are working to create the best plan for taxpayers. “At this moment in time, we are asking hard questions,” she said. “We are reviewing information carefully. We are weighing long-term impacts, not just what sounds good today but what truly serves Wyandotte County years from now.” Watson said residents’ voices matter in the process, and she committed to sharing updates when she has real information to share. “This is what responsible leadership looks like,” she said. “I believe transparency matters, and so does responsibility. That means we don’t rush decisions. We don’t negotiate in headlines, and we don’t make promises until we are confident they protect our residents, our taxpayers and our future.”
The mayor and CEO of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, addressed questions about the Kansas City Chiefs’ relocation to Kansas in a social media video Friday.
Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt, in a joint news conference with Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, announced Monday that the Chiefs will leave Arrowhead Stadium in 2031 for a new stadium across the state line.
A proposal for the new stadium indicates that 65% of the project will be funded by Kansas STAR bonds.
But it’s not a done deal yet, said Geoffrey Propheter, an associate professor of public affairs at the University of Colorado Denver, who has written extensively on stadium financing.
Details still need to be worked out before the plan moves forward.
Christal Watson, mayor/CEO of KCK and Wyandotte County, said she wanted to be transparent and address looming questions about the relocation.
“First and foremost, I want to be very clear: At the local level, no final decisions have been made,” Watson said. “No agreements have been finalized. No commitments have been locked in.”
Watson said county officials are working to create the best plan for taxpayers.
“At this moment in time, we are asking hard questions,” she said. “We are reviewing information carefully. We are weighing long-term impacts, not just what sounds good today but what truly serves Wyandotte County years from now.”
Watson said residents’ voices matter in the process, and she committed to sharing updates when she has real information to share.
“This is what responsible leadership looks like,” she said. “I believe transparency matters, and so does responsibility. That means we don’t rush decisions. We don’t negotiate in headlines, and we don’t make promises until we are confident they protect our residents, our taxpayers and our future.”