A Jackson County Legislator is calling for tax dollars typically spent on stadium maintenance at the Truman Sports Complex to be redirected toward planning for a future without the Royals and the Chiefs.In a letter to Jackson County Executive Phil LeVota, Sports Authority Chairman Shawn Foster, and other state and county leaders, Jackson County Legislator Manny Abarca detailed how millions in taxpayer dollars should no longer go to the Kansas City Chiefs.”I think the point is to say that we’re no longer the piggy bank for the Chiefs specifically,” Abarca said.Each year, millions of Jackson County taxpayer dollars go toward the Repair, Maintenance, Management, and Operations (R.M.M.O.) fund.”We’ve got five years left on this amount and this fund we’ve got roughly, I think, $150 million in total of that time frame that maybe we need to claw back and start looking at how we strategize the future of Truman Sports Complex,” Abarca said.Abarca suggests that money from that fund should be set aside to plan for the future of the Truman Sports Complex, whether or not one or both teams remain.”We could save the Royals in Jackson County, without a doubt,” Abarca said. “I mean, we can look at that as a means of how we can strategically redesign what the Truman Sports Complex is, maybe without two teams, unfortunately.”The letter was also sent to Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe, Missouri Senate and House leaders, and mayors of multiple Jackson County cities.”The reality now that we continue to invest in a team that’s obviously walked away from us, it’s ludicrous,” Abarca said. “So now is a time that I’d encourage all the cities and the state who’s contributing to the Chiefs to consider should we continue to do that in the next five years?”On Monday, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said he has already begun preliminary conversations with Jackson County Executive Phil LeVota.”We will have conversations, probably will go very soon with folks that can work with us on what do you do for entertainment purposes in that area,” Lucas said. “There will be a lot of money coming to the Truman Sports Complex and still over the next five years.”Lucas said they could look at repurposing the ground around and inside the Truman Sports Complex to highlight Arrowhead Stadium as an outdoor event space.”You probably have to take down at least one of those facilities, Kauffman Stadium most likely to be lost to history over time,” Lucas said. “Is there some way you look at the longer-term use with Arrowhead Stadium?”With the Chiefs missing the playoffs, the Truman Sports Complex will remain mostly empty until the Royals’ home opener on March 30, 2026.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. —

A Jackson County Legislator is calling for tax dollars typically spent on stadium maintenance at the Truman Sports Complex to be redirected toward planning for a future without the Royals and the Chiefs.

In a letter to Jackson County Executive Phil LeVota, Sports Authority Chairman Shawn Foster, and other state and county leaders, Jackson County Legislator Manny Abarca detailed how millions in taxpayer dollars should no longer go to the Kansas City Chiefs.

“I think the point is to say that we’re no longer the piggy bank for the Chiefs specifically,” Abarca said.

Each year, millions of Jackson County taxpayer dollars go toward the Repair, Maintenance, Management, and Operations (R.M.M.O.) fund.

“We’ve got five years left on this amount and this fund we’ve got roughly, I think, $150 million in total of that time frame that maybe we need to claw back and start looking at how we strategize the future of Truman Sports Complex,” Abarca said.

Abarca suggests that money from that fund should be set aside to plan for the future of the Truman Sports Complex, whether or not one or both teams remain.

“We could save the Royals in Jackson County, without a doubt,” Abarca said. “I mean, we can look at that as a means of how we can strategically redesign what the Truman Sports Complex is, maybe without two teams, unfortunately.”

The letter was also sent to Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe, Missouri Senate and House leaders, and mayors of multiple Jackson County cities.

“The reality now that we continue to invest in a team that’s obviously walked away from us, it’s ludicrous,” Abarca said. “So now is a time that I’d encourage all the cities and the state who’s contributing to the Chiefs to consider should we continue to do that in the next five years?”

On Monday, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said he has already begun preliminary conversations with Jackson County Executive Phil LeVota.

“We will have conversations, probably will go very soon with folks that can work with us on what do you do for entertainment purposes in that area,” Lucas said. “There will be a lot of money coming to the Truman Sports Complex and still over the next five years.”

Lucas said they could look at repurposing the ground around and inside the Truman Sports Complex to highlight Arrowhead Stadium as an outdoor event space.

“You probably have to take down at least one of those facilities, Kauffman Stadium most likely to be lost to history over time,” Lucas said. “Is there some way you look at the longer-term use with Arrowhead Stadium?”

With the Chiefs missing the playoffs, the Truman Sports Complex will remain mostly empty until the Royals’ home opener on March 30, 2026.