With the Jackson County option sidelined by “dysfunction,” the only stadium-related bill to progress through the Missouri legislature would open a path for a Royals stadium in Clay County.
Royals
Posted inState Government
Kansas might use STAR bonds to lure Chiefs and Royals. Here’s how they worked on other projects
Kansas lawmakers have returned to Topeka for a special tax-cutting session and are expected to vote on a STAR bond proposal to finance a new stadium.
Posted inCivic Engagement, Elections, Local Government
What the stadium tax defeat says about teams, their subsidies and Jackson County voters
Editor’s note (April 4, 2024): This story has been corrected to reflect an error about a Virginia tax package to attract stadiums. The Royals and the Chiefs had everything. Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce — fresh off of a Super Bowl victory — endorsed a “yes” vote in ads airing on TV and on YouTube. […]
Posted inEducation
Royals say new stadium won’t hurt KCPS revenue, but silent on libraries, mental health services
Takeaways: The Royals, vying for support weeks before voters will decide whether to promise them decades of tax money, are finalizing terms to give Kansas City Public Schools money to offset the loss of property taxes. The team’s plans for a stadium and entertainment district in the East Crossroads would swallow up six blocks of […]
Posted inEconomics, Elections, Labor
Construction unions back the Royals stadium, while low-wage workers are still demanding more
Takeaways: Kansas City construction worker unions find many things to like about extending the 3/8-cent sales tax to build a new Royals stadium and maintain Arrowhead Stadium — such as new jobs. But service workers who would fill the jobs in and around a new ballpark in the Crossroads Arts District say they’re being left […]
Posted inElections, Local Government
Tax dollars don’t make a stadium possible, just more lavish
Say you’re at a restaurant and you begin to salivate over the menu’s lobster thermidor or a flute of champagne. You might balk at the price — unless someone else is paying the bill.
Owners of teams worth billions think the same way.
Economists say that “gold plating effect” makes stadiums more expensive when taxpayers pitch in.
Posted inLocal Government
KC curveball: If voters OK sales taxes for a ballpark, Royals will ask the city and state for up to $700 million more
The proposed extension of Jackson County’s sales tax won’t be enough to pay for a new downtown Kansas City Royals stadium.
So the team is in conversation with city officials and Missouri Gov. Mike Parson to fill a $700 million funding gap with taxpayer dollars from Kansas City and the state.