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A push for a public vote on a proposed $600 million downtown stadium plan for the Kansas City Royals is being discussed as the project moves forward. Councilman Jonathan Duncan believes voters should have a say after they overwhelmingly rejected public funding for a new Royals stadium two years ago. Duncan thinks it would only take about 2,200 petition signatures to get the issue on the ballot, but has not indicated if a petition drive has begun.
Why it matters
The Royals’ current stadium, Kauffman Stadium, opened in 1973 and the team has been exploring options for a new downtown ballpark for years. The public vote issue highlights ongoing tensions over using taxpayer money to fund professional sports stadiums, which some see as subsidizing billionaire team owners.
The details
Last week, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas unveiled a plan that includes up to a $600 million commitment from the city towards the estimated $1.9 billion project. However, Councilman Duncan characterized the 2024 Jackson County vote, where voters rejected a 40-year sales tax extension to help fund a new Royals stadium, as an overwhelming rejection of public dollars for a ‘billionaire’s ballpark’. Duncan believes the city should respect that voter sentiment and put the new stadium plan to another public vote.
- In 2024, Jackson County voters rejected a plan to extend a sales tax 40 years to help fund a new Royals stadium.
- Last week, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas unveiled a $600 million city funding plan for a new $1.9 billion downtown Royals stadium.
The players
Quinton Lucas
The mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, who unveiled a plan for up to $600 million in city funding for a new $1.9 billion Royals stadium.
Jonathan Duncan
A Kansas City councilman who believes voters should have a say on public funding for a new Royals stadium after they rejected a similar plan in 2024.
Kansas City Royals
The Major League Baseball team that is exploring options for a new downtown stadium to replace their current home, Kauffman Stadium, which opened in 1973.
What they’re saying
“I think it’s unfortunate that the mayor and my colleagues who are supporting this measure are doing it behind closed doors without a vote of the people, and that they’re not valuing the sentiment. And what really is the respect of the voters? The voters made their voices clear. And as elected officials, we should respect those voters.”
— Jonathan Duncan, Kansas City Councilman
What’s next
Councilman Duncan believes it would take about 2,200 petition signatures to get the stadium funding plan on the ballot for a public vote. However, he has not indicated if a petition drive has begun.
The takeaway
The push for a public vote on the Royals stadium plan highlights the ongoing debate over using taxpayer money to fund professional sports facilities. While the city has unveiled a funding plan, some elected officials believe voters should have a direct say after rejecting a similar proposal in the recent past.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source nationaltoday.com ’
