If Kansas City Royals rebuild in Missouri, Gov. Kelly says Kansas won’t help foot the bill
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Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly on Wednesday ruled out the possibility of her state financially aiding a new Kansas City Royals stadium project located in Missouri.
The team is an institution of the dual-state metro area and Kansans, including the governor, often take pride in the Missouri-based Royals and Chiefs despite their home across state lines in Kansas City.
Kansas and Missouri have often partnered on dual-state economic development activities in the metro area, including Kansas City’s pitch for the World Cup in 2016 and the relocation of USDA offices to the city during the Trump administration.
Kansas allocated $10 million for preparations for the World Cup, a move Kelly championed. Though the World Cup games in Kansas City will be held at Arrowhead Stadium in Missouri, Kansas’ Sporting KC will host teams for practice and training. Fans will be able to watch training in Sporting KC’s Children’s Mercy Park in Wyandotte County. The funding was designated for “infrastructure and other required improvements” in and around the park. In Missouri, lawmakers put forward $52 million to prepare for the event.
But the Democratic governor dismissed the idea of Kansas assistance for a new stadium as the Royals weigh multiple sites that would move the team into or near downtown Kansas City, Missouri. “No. No, I don’t think so,” Kelly told The Star when asked if she believes Kansas has any kind of financial responsibility to a stadium project.
Kelly, who made the remarks during a year-end interview, referenced the possible extension of a Jackson County sales tax to help fund stadiums. Jackson County legislators are weighing whether to approve a ballot measure that would ask voters if they want to keep paying the 3/8th-cent tax for another 40 years.
“So I think of it as strictly a Kansas City, Missouri-Jackson County issue,” Kelly said.
The Jackson County Legislature is considering legislation that would place the renewal of a county-wide sales tax to finance a new stadium on the ballot in April. The cost to taxpayers would between $4.4 billion and $6.4 billion according to a confidential financial analysis obtained by The Star.
Manny Abarca, a Jackson County legislator who raised concerns last month that the Royals might move to Kansas, said Kelly’s comments made him believe the state wasn’t interested in the team. Kelly’s office told The Star last month they had had no conversations with The Chiefs and Royals about relocating.
Abarca said he’d like to find some way to get residents outside of Jackson County who enjoy the professional teams to share the cost.
“It is nearly a fifty-fifty participation rate. Now how do we create some type of mechanism whether that be a fee or a tax or something that would allow us to recoup some of those costs,” Abarca said.
“I think it is clear at least in the last two decades that Kansas has no interest in sharing the financial burden of the taxation to raise funds for the stadium. They just want to enjoy the leisure there.”
The Royals declined to comment.
Kansas has not historically provided funding for Kansas City teams on the Missouri side of the state line. The city and team have not publicly asked for that sort of support.
Some Missourians for years have suspected Kansas could attempt to lure the Royals and the Kansas City Chiefs across the state line. That speculation flared last year when Kelly signed a bill legalizing sports betting that set aside up to $10 million to help attract professional sports teams to the state. The provision was widely interpreted as a gesture toward the Chiefs.
This story was originally published December 21, 2023 at 12:12 PM.
