The Kansas City Chiefs are expected to propose a deal to build a new stadium in Kansas, but the Royals aren’t on the agenda for the meeting.
The Legislative Coordinating Council meets Dec. 22, which is the last meeting before the self-imposed deadline set by top lawmakers for the teams to reach a stadium financing deal with the state government.
The Chiefs are on the agenda and will have representatives at the meeting, but the Royals aren’t on the agenda. That’s according to Senate President Ty Masterson, who chairs the council, who spoke in a Dec. 19 appearance on KCMO talk radio with host Pete Mundo.
“I am expecting a proposal from the Chiefs,” Masterson said, without saying what he expects to be included in the proposal. He added, “No deal is done until it’s done.”
Timeline calls for Dec. 31 deadline to make deals with Kansas
A copy of the agenda wasn’t available from legislative administrative staff as of the morning of Dec. 19.
The Royals missing from the agenda comes a day after Masterson’s office implied it was the Royals, not the Chiefs, that would be considered at the meeting.
“Masterson believes the Kansas City Royals are fully committed to Kansas which fulfills their obligation regarding the advanced timeline given from the LCC,” Megan Stookey, a spokesman for Masterson, told The Capital-Journal in a Dec. 18 statement.
Later that evening, Masterson walked back the comment to reaffirm the procedural deadline of Dec. 31 for a stadium deal. Masterson told Mundo the statement released by staff doesn’t reflect the current state of negotiations but said he believes the Royals would still like to consider a move to Kansas.
“I do believe they want to come to Kansas,” Masterson said. “Their intentions are there, but there is a very tight timeline on them, and what I believe doesn’t change the statute.”
Kansas politicians in June 2024 passed specialized Sales Tax and Revenue Bonds, more commonly known as STAR bonds, which help fund economic development projects using sales tax revenue generated in and around a taxing district it creates. The government intended for the subsidies to entice Kansas City sports teams across the border after voters in Jackson County, Missouri, rejected a ballot measure renewing a sales tax for the teams.
Beyond stadiums, the bonds could also be used to fund training facilities. The legislation could finance up to 70% of a multi-billion dollar stadium.
The legislation set a deadline of June 30, 2025, with the opportunity for a one-year extension. Top lawmakers extended negotiations, which means the legal deadline is June 30, 2026, but those lawmakers imposed their own deadline of Dec. 31.
“We’ve had this deadline at the end of the year that’s been looming. The reason that date, Monday, that’s the last workable date in December that I can have the meeting,” Masterson said.
While Masterson is the current LCC chair, that role will be taken over by House Speaker Dan Hawkins in January. Hawkins had been the most vocal proponent of the December deadline when it was set at a July meeting, saying he wanted the issue settled before the 2026 legislative session starts.
“He has been very clear he has no intention of taking anything up next year,” Masterson said of Hawkins.
In a Dec. 18 statement, Hawkins reaffirmed the Dec. 31 deadline, “and as Chair of the LCC next year, I can assure you that is not going to change. I hope both the Chiefs and the Royals can come to an agreement with the State by that date.”
Kansas commerce department says state in active discussions with Chiefs
The Kansas Department of Commerce acknowledged the upcoming LCC meeting in a Dec. 18 Facebook post.
“The state of Kansas is in active discussions with the Kansas City Chiefs about the prospects of building a new stadium and other facilities in Kansas,” the agency’s post said. “No final agreement has been reached, but this would be a massive economic win for Kansas and benefit Kansans for generations to come. We are aggressively pursuing this opportunity.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.cjonline.com ’
