Chiefs stadium talks thrust Kansas council into spotlight. What they’re saying
A highly anticipated meeting in Kansas regarding the future of the Kansas City Chiefs has thrust a little-known legislative council into the spotlight.
The Kansas Legislative Coordinating Council, or LCC, is poised to meet Monday to discuss a proposal with the team, a significant revelation after state lawmakers passed a supercharged bonding program, known as STAR bonds, to lure the Chiefs across the state line.
No agenda has been made public for Monday’s highly anticipated meeting. But it could serve as a major barometer in a drawn-out fight over the Chiefs and Kansas City Royals between Kansas and Missouri after both states passed their own incentives packages.
The influential eight-member panel includes the top Democratic and Republican leaders in both chambers of the Kansas Legislature and oversees state business when lawmakers are not in session. Ahead of Monday, a flurry of LCC members have weighed in on the stakes of the meeting.
One member, Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, a Lenexa Democrat, confirmed to The Star that the council will discuss a proposal between the Chiefs and the state of Kansas. She was short on additional details about what exactly the plan would involve.
“It is my understanding that the Chiefs and Kansas have been in negotiation and they will bring what they have agreed on to the LCC,” Sykes said in an interview.
The Royals will not be discussed during the meeting, Sykes and Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican who chairs the council, also confirmed.
Masterson, who is running for governor, and House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, released a flurry of statements Thursday afternoon emphasizing the upcoming Dec. 31 deadline for the teams and state to make a decision.
While Kansas lawmakers extended the underlying stadium STAR bonds law through June 30, 2026, they also approved a separate motion this summer specifying that they would only consider a deal with either team before the end of 2025.
Masterson’s office said that, while he believed the Royals were fully committed to Kansas, their location proposal would not be finalized this year or during the upcoming legislative session. In a follow-up statement, the top Republican made clear that the Dec. 31 deadline was still firm.
Hawkins made a similar argument in a statement released to the media Thursday evening.
“I hope both the Chiefs and the Royals can come to an agreement with the State by that date,” Hawkins said.
Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Brandon Woodard, a Lenexa Democrat, declined to speculate about the focus of Monday’s meeting, saying in a text to The Star on Thursday that everything was a rumor until the agenda was released.
Woodard later chimed in on his Instagram story.
“As one of 8 members of the LCC, I look forward to reviewing any potential proposal on Monday,” the Democratic lawmaker wrote.
The LCC also includes: Senate Majority Leader Chase Blasi, an Andale Republican; Sen. Tim Shallenburger, a Baxter Springs Republican and Senate vice president; House Speaker Pro Tem Blake Carpenter, a Derby Republican; and, House Majority Leader Chris Croft, an Overland Park Republican.
Intense speculation about Monday’s meeting has raised alarm in the Chiefs’ home state of Missouri. But Missouri officials have routinely touted ongoing conversations with the teams and expressed confidence about the Chiefs remaining in Missouri.
Meanwhile, Jackson County Executive Phil LeVota announced a press conference for 2 p.m. Friday to discuss “Chiefs partnership, including coordination and key updates.”
