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. […]
stadium
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.
Posted inElections, Local Government
The Royals want your tax dollars for a new stadium. What to know before the April 2 vote
Upward of $1.7 billion taxpayer dollars are on the line this April.
After years of planning and negotiations, the Kansas City Royals want to demolish six blocks of the Crossroads district to make way for a shiny new baseball stadium.
But first, they will need voters to agree to tax themselves for four decades to subsidize the Royals and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Posted inLabor
Jackson County sent the Royals stadium tax to the ballot. Now, labor gears up for tough talks
Takeaways: The Kansas City Royals want voters to promise four more decades of tax money to underwrite a new stadium. Parking attendants, beer vendors and the other people who tend to fans want more leverage on their wages. And the Royals say the team stands willing to bargain, offering to enter into a community benefits […]