Group seeking public vote on new Royals stadium warns KC against rushing project
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- City election officials verified signatures for a petition on up to $600 million funding.
- The group said rushing a deal before a vote could be legally questionable.
- Lucas said the city plans to strike a deal and could begin construction this year.
A group seeking to force a public vote on Kansas City’s plan to fund a new Royals stadium says in a letter to city officials that rushing a deal before a vote can take place on a proposed ordinance could be unlawful.
The group also criticized Mayor Quinton Lucas’ recent comments suggesting that the group’s citizen-led initiative petition is too late to stop the project.
The letter comes after city election officials on Monday verified the necessary number of signatures needed for a citizen-led initiative petition that aims to give Kansas City voters the final say on whether the city provides up to $600 million of public funding for a new Royals stadium.
The proposed ordinance now goes to the City Council for consideration. City codes show that council members have 60 days to consider it before it can be sent to the public vote.
A committee of five people associated with Missouri Workers Power, an affiliate of progressive labor advocacy groups Missouri Workers Center and Stand Up KC, sent a letter to Lucas and the City Council on Tuesday requesting to discuss its proposed ordinance in the petition.
In the letter, the group asks the City Council to consider the proposal quickly or send it to a vote as soon as possible, rather than taking up all 60 days allowed by the city code.
“The people are watching and expect the Council to respect their input and desire for a vote,” the group said in the letter.
The group also criticized comments by Lucas, who suggested that the petition would not affect the city’s efforts to fund a new Royals stadium.
City officials have said the earliest the ordinance can be put on the ballot is the Nov. 3 general election, which may come after the city has already signed off on a funding plan. Lucas has said that the city plans to strike a deal and begin construction on the stadium as early as this year.
Lucas also said on a local radio talk show this month that the petition would not apply to the Royals stadium.
“This train’s already left the station,” Lucas said. “I think we’ll get the necessary documents and deals signed, and a vote that comes after the fact, while incredibly interesting and perhaps detrimental to future projects in Kansas City, will not impact one where you’re already seeing movement.”
The group said in the letter that Lucas’ comments were disrespectful to the thousands of voters who supported the petition and suggested that rushing the project before the public can vote on it is “legally questionable.”
The group also suggested that the wording of the ordinance could prohibit the city from taking any actions related to the stadium before a vote can take place, including issuing bonds and authorizing building permits.
“At the least, the proposed ordinance creates uncertainty as to any deal with the Royals until the issue of the ordinance is resolved,” the group said in the letter. “The best way to handle the matter, which respects the right of initiative, is to put the Petition on the ballot without delay and let the people decide.”
When asked about the letter, Lucas’ office did not directly respond to the group’s demands. The office said the mayor will review the petition and the letter and suggested the city will continue to work on striking a deal with the Royals.
