Thanks, Kansas taxpayers. The Chiefs’ move worked out great for Missouri | Opinion
In addition to being Missouri’s state auditor, I’m also a lifelong Kansas City Chiefs fan and a longtime season ticket holder. So, you can imagine how I felt while I was watching the celebratory press conference when the Chiefs announced they were leaving Missouri for Kansas. I was angry.
But they say the only constant in life is change, so I’ve been trying to come to terms with the decision. As more details have come to light, and as I’ve had a chance to step back and take a breath, my anger has been replaced by a much more surprising emotion: gratitude.
I have to say thank you to Kansas taxpayers. I know over the last couple-hundred years, we’ve had our differences, but brothers fight. That’s how it works. They don’t stop being brothers. We share one of the greatest cities in the world and for too long, Missouri taxpayers have been subsidizing Kansans without receiving much in return.
Professional sports teams, a new world-class airport, world-class museums and entertainment — these are expensive investments made by Missouri taxpayers for the benefit of the entire region. One could argue Kansas hasn’t really pulled its weight.
But not anymore. Kansas taxpayers have stepped up in an almost unimaginable way. Not content with matching Missouri’s very generous offer to pay for up to 50% of the costs for a new stadium, they have acquiesced to the largest taxpayer subsidy to a sports team in history, by far. Six. Billion. Dollars. For 10 football games a year. More than the Yankees got to build their stadium in New York City. And while no deal is truly done until ground has been broken, the Royals (and their 81 games a year) appear to be working on a deal with local leaders to stay in Missouri, where they belong.
Because the money to pay for the new dome will be raised by diverting sales taxes from a portion of the Kansas City, Kansas, metropolitan area the size of the Land of Oz (the one from the story, not the failed theme park development), proponents say this won’t necessarily cause a tax increase. But the reality is most of this so-called “growth” is money that could be used to provide government services. Or, even better, it could have translated into a tax cut for Kansans down the road.
And as an added benefit, Kansas will have a hard time pilfering their taxpayers to lure more Missouri assets across the state line for decades, or implementing any new STAR bond projects in Wyandotte and Johnson counties, because all of that sweet Kansas sales tax is going to be converted into a state-of-the-art domed stadium for Missouri taxpayer enjoyment.
So all in all — it’s worked out OK for the Show-Me State.
It’s not all roses though. It’s sad that one of the most iconic venues in professional sports, enjoyed by generations of Chiefs fans, won’t be used for professional football after 2030. They say you literally cannot build them as loud as Arrowhead Stadium anymore. I guess we will find out.
To the Chiefs: Missourians will always be your fans, and while we are disappointed in the choice you made, I know some offers are too good to pass up. To Clark Hunt, if this deal falls through, and it could — Kansas has never done a STAR deal close to this size, and it currently has a project in default — you still have a chance to preserve your father’s legacy at Arrowhead. Obviously, we’d love to keep you in Missouri, but if we do, it will be a business decision for us now, as your decision to move to Kansas was for you.
But don’t expect us to be as generous as our big-hearted little brother to the west.
Scott Fitzpatrick is 39th auditor of the state of Missouri.