Lawmakers in Kansas, eager to entice the Kansas City Chiefs across the state border, are refining their proposal in an attempt to gain support from skeptical colleagues. Their plan now focuses on encouraging the Super Bowl champions to build a new stadium, tied to broader tax cuts. The proposal, set to be debated in a special session starting Tuesday, would permit the state to issue bonds to assist the Chiefs and the Kansas City Royals in constructing new stadiums on the Kansas side of their metropolitan area, which straddles the Missouri border.
Originally, the plan included state bonds covering the entirety of construction costs. However, backers have scaled back, limiting state bond usage to 70% of costs and proposing funding through revenues from sports betting, the state lottery, and new taxes generated around each stadium. Republican leaders prioritize tax cuts as their main agenda during the session, with the stadium proposal as a secondary goal. Governor Laura Kelly, a Democrat, called the session primarily for tax reductions but has not restricted the agenda, allowing for consideration of the stadium plan.
Lawmakers emphasize the need to demonstrate fiscal relief to constituents, particularly after previous tax-cutting plans were vetoed. The revised stadium financing plan applies solely to professional football and Major League Baseball stadiums, not other professional sports venues. Bonds would be repaid over 30 years.
Despite opposition from free-market conservatives and economists who argue against subsidizing sports stadiums, supporters argue that the economic benefits justify the investment. They contend that revenues generated by the stadiums and surrounding development would offset costs that would otherwise not exist. Missouri officials have expressed intent to retain the teams but have not proposed specific measures.
The urgency stems from the teams’ lease on their current stadium complex expiring in 2031, prompting discussions on future renovations. Supporters assert that bringing major league teams to Kansas enhances the state’s stature, dismissing past economic studies critical of such subsidies.
