Following the dismissal of its lawsuit against the state of Kansas, Wyandotte County’s local government may soon repeal protections it had passed to have a stronger voice in negotiations surrounding the Kansas City Chiefs’ move across the state line.
During a 5:30 p.m. meeting on Thursday, the Unified Government Board of Commissioners is scheduled to consider two separate ordinances that, if approved, would mean the county would have to follow Kansas’ lead in how it wants to finance and manage the project.
It would also mean that Wyandotte County would give up several conditions that it set when it initially agreed to dedicate a portion of its future local sales tax dollars toward helping to build the projected $3 billion, domed stadium in western Kansas City, Kansas.
Their pending vote comes more than a week after Gov. Laura Kelly and the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, announced they’d reached a settlement in a lawsuit that the local government filed over the state’s role in the deal. The Unified Government argued that portions of a state law governing the development violated the Kansas Constitution and kept the local government from having a meaningful say in decisions on the table.
After conversations with state leaders that clarified some responsibilities both parties had in the development, the Unified Government dismissed its lawsuit days later.
Krystal McFeders, a Unified Government spokesperson, indicated last week that it was likely the settlement meant KCK would continue to help pay for the stadium but that it may need to revisit the conditions and local protections passed back in February.
A local official not authorized to speak publicly on the matter similarly indicated that the state had asked the city to revise its terms.
What the UG is voting on
Last month, commissioners voted to opt out of the Kansas Sports Facilities Authority Act, a state law giving Kansas significant say in how it will operate the move and construction projects tied to it. The local government took issue with the amount of say the state had in setting terms for the stadium and its future management, and local officials wanted more leverage in the dealings.
Now, they’re scheduled to vote on whether they should rescind that vote and “charter into,” or opt back into, the state’s rulebook.
Back in February, the board agreed it would direct up to $450 million in future local sales tax dollars — generated on the 236 acres in west KCK that the stadium and its additional developments will stand on — toward helping pay off the debt used to construct the stadium project.
But their agreement was contingent on several terms, including the local government having a say on a state sales tax and revenue (STAR) bond district that would contribute new state sales tax dollars toward paying off debt used to build the stadium. Their terms also included requiring that KCK have a local representative on the board managing the stadium development, that the government get to approve all final documentation in the deal, and that the Unified Government not have to pay out of pocket for new infrastructure tied to the project — like new roads leading to the stadium.
As of publication time, commissioners were scheduled to consider an amended version of their sales tax pledge that, if approved, would remove those conditions and leave two others.
Those remaining conditions would be that the stadium be located within the 236 acres that parties agreed to draw revenues from, called the “base revenue area,” and that a bond issuance happen before Dec. 31, 2030, or a date after the fact that the Unified Government would have to approve.
How to attend
Thursday’s meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Commission Chambers of the Unified Government building, at 701 N. Seventh St. in downtown KCK. Members of the public are permitted to attend.
People may also view the meeting virtually by Zoom or on the government’s YouTube channel.
