Missouri governor rolls out plan to keep Chiefs, Royals. Here’s what’s included
Update: The Missouri House passed a funding package for the Chiefs and Royals on Tuesday afternoon. Read our story here.
Missouri’s 11th-hour plan to keep the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals in the state centers on bonds and other aid that would pay for up to half the cost of new or upgraded stadiums for the teams.
Gov. Mike Kehoe pitched the plan to the House Republicans on Tuesday morning ahead of an anticipated floor debate on the proposal later in the day.
A two-page summary of the plan obtained by The Star that is circulating among lawmakers also says the teams’ stadium investments could be eligible for tax credits worth up to $50 million. The proposal was posted on the House website late Tuesday morning ahead of the daily session and confirms the $50 million tax credit limit.
The measure would hand the Chiefs and Royals a large incentive to remain in Missouri without first requiring the teams to commit to a specific stadium location. The package doesn’t prohibit the Royals from moving from Kansas City in Jackson County into North Kansas City in Clay County — a possibility that has garnered renewed public interest in recent weeks.
The two-page summary pitches lawmakers on a tool that could help the Chiefs upgrade Arrowhead Stadium and assist the Royals in building a new stadium somewhere in Missouri.
The package marks the most sweeping Missouri plan to court the teams since Jackson County voters rejected a 3/8th-cent stadiums sales tax in April 2024. It comes nearly a year after Kansas lawmakers approved their own plan to offer supercharged bonds to finance up to 70% of the cost of new stadiums for one or both teams.
The Republican governor put the potential total value of the package, which he called a major economic development proposal, at over $3 billion – a figure he labeled “huge.” He didn’t elaborate on the source of the total figure.
“But as I’ve said all along to everybody standing in front of me and to all Missourians, it has to be a good deal for Missouri, and we need to make sure we’re fiduciary responsible on the return on investment from Missourians,” Kehoe told reporters after the meeting.
House Minority Leader Ashley Aune, a Kansas City Democrat, said that while she supports the stadiums proposal, she has no interest in helping the proposal along without concessions. She mentioned dropping efforts to put an amendment restricting abortion rights before voters and a proposed repeal of a minimum wage increase, among other priorities.
“We’re trying to talk with the governor’s office, we’re going to see what we can get from it,” Aune said. “Because coming to House Democrats in the 11th hour and asking us to help them get something across the finish line is a bit insulting.”
The proposed program offers funding for stadium development by covering annual bond payments up to the amount a team generated in state tax revenue in the year prior to when it took effect.
The program would dedicate funds for bond payments up to the amount of revenue “historically generated by the teams.” In other words, the amount of revenue Missouri would lose if a team leaves the state.
The proposal sets a minimum project cost of $500 million to qualify and stadiums must have a seating capacity of more than 30,000. A new Royals stadium would cost more than $1 billion. A new Chiefs stadium could cost up to $3 billion. When they brought forth a plan to renovate Arrowhead Stadium a year ago, the Chiefs projected that cost at $800 million.
Total state dollars will not exceed 50% of total project costs, according to the legislation. The program benefit won’t last longer than 30 years and a local contribution is required, though the summary document doesn’t make clear whether that would involve a dedicated tax or other revenue source.
The legislation says state officials must be satisfied that there is “sufficient public investment” by local government to support infrastructure or “other needs generated by the project.”
Elected officials often cast new stadiums as economic development projects, as thousands of workers would potentially be needed to help build them. But academic research has consistently demonstrated that stadiums are poor drivers of economic growth, and an analysis published earlier this year found that stadium projects spur little growth in local construction industries.
The Missouri Department of Economic Development would oversee the program. The summary says lawmakers would review the program annually as part of the budget process. Benefits would be clawed back if a team relocates its stadium, headquarters or training facility outside Missouri.
In conjunction with settling their stadium future, the Chiefs have explored building a new training facility, a search that includes options in Kansas. Their facility is currently stationed across the parking lot at the Truman Sports Complex.
Whether the House has enough votes to pass the proposal is unclear. Kehoe’s personal involvement and decision to speak to GOP lawmakers pose a big test of the new governor’s political clout and persuasive abilities.
Kehoe suggested that even if the proposal doesn’t pass the General Assembly before the legislature’s mandatory adjournment at 6 p.m., he is open to calling a special session.
“Legislators aren’t excited about coming into special sessions,” Kehoe said, “but it’s that big of an economic project and that big of an economic impact that in the past it certainly has warranted other governors a special session.”
This story was originally published May 13, 2025 at 10:40 AM.
