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KANSAS CITY, Mo. \u2014 With Frank White Jr.\u2019s days as Jackson County executive numbered, his successor \u2014 whoever that might be<\/a> \u2014 faces a tight deadline to try and keep the Chiefs and Royals in the county.<\/p>\n The years-long saga about where the teams will play in the future is expected to be settled within the next nine months.<\/p>\n RELATED<\/b> | KC sports fans fed up over saga swirling around Chiefs, Royals stadiums<\/a><\/p>\n White was a vocal critic of the April 2024 push to extend a 3\/8-cent sales tax to renovate GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium and build a new downtown baseball stadium.<\/p>\n \u201cThe current deal is just not a good deal for Jackson County,\u201d White said in February 2024 when the Chiefs unveiled their renovation plan.<\/p>\n He fought for and won several concessions from the teams \u2014 on property insurance payments, demolition costs and a robust community benefits agreement \u2014 but he never endorsed the plan, because the teams had yet to sign a tentative lease agreement or substantively changed the funding formula.<\/p>\n \u201cOur goal was to try to bring some revenue back to the county from this partnership, and make it a more equitable partnership with the county and the teams,\u201d he said ahead of the vote. \u201cThat’s the part that’s missing.\u201d<\/p>\n Voters largely agreed, rejecting the plan with 58% of the vote and some remain grateful.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m glad he kind of stood up to the Royals,\u201d Gary Paredes, a resident of Kansas City, Missouri, said.<\/p>\n Several Royals fans who went to the polls Tuesday, when 85% of Jackson County voters chose to recall White, blamed the team as much as the county\u2019s top elected official.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Royals did such a terrible job,\u201d Sandra Handley, a KCMO resident, said. \u201cI mean, they’ve got all the money in the world to spend, and they still couldn’t get a message out anybody can understand.\u201d<\/p>\n Royals Chairman and CEO John Sherman promised a transparent process, but voters don\u2019t believe he delivered.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the people felt, or at least I felt, that most of the stadium discussion and negotiations were not really public,\u201d Thomas J. Winter said outside the Second Presbyterian Church polling location in Brookside. \u201cThe team is a public asset, and I think people just want to be heard about that. I think they want the team to be recognized, not as a business, but as a civic entity.\u201d<\/p>\n It hasn\u2019t gotten better in the 18 months since voters rejected a proposal that included a new stadium in the northeast corner of the Crossroads Arts District.<\/p>\n The Royals haven\u2019t put forth a new plan after the Crossroads plan flopped at the polls. The club has denied multiple requests, including several in recent weeks as the 2025 Royals season came to an end, to speak with Sherman or other club officials for an update.<\/p>\n \u201cI would like to see everybody talking publicly about what the options really are, because I don’t think, as a voter, we know much of anything other than rumors, and we don’t even have very good rumors,\u201d Handley said. \u201cI’d like to see some open discussion about this and some explanation of what’s happening and what the choices really are. … I’d like to hear from somebody with the Royals about what they’re thinking and where they’re going with this.\u201d<\/p>\n The Kansas legislature initially passed changes to its STAR Bonds incentive tool<\/a> in June 2024, increasing the percentage of a project\u2019s total cost that the state will redirect from 50% to 70% for a sports stadium.<\/p>\n When the Legislative Coordinating Committee extended the STAR Bonds offer<\/a> for another year in July 2025, it added a requirement to present proposals by the end of the year.<\/p>\n In response, Missouri passed Senate Bill 3<\/a> in June 2025, which provides a similar funding mechanism to STAR Bonds. Both allow tax revenue generated from a project to be redirected toward construction and maintenance costs.<\/p>\n No matter how it shakes out now, the teams stand to receive a larger windfall from taxpayers, whether it\u2019s in Kansas or Missouri, than they would have in April 2024.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew we were going to get screwed over if we didn’t vote for that, and we have,\u201d Handley said.<\/p>\n The Missouri legislature\u2019s proposal requires a local financing component, which means voters in Jackson County \u2014 or potentially Clay County \u2014 will be asked to extend or pass a sales tax to fund the stadiums, possibly as soon as April 2026.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is so much bad feeling already about this, it’s going to be hard to pass the legislation they need, just because everybody is sort of angry and feels left out and unheard,\u201d Handley said.<\/p>\n The Chiefs\u2019 choice is pretty clear \u2014 renovate Arrowhead using money from a sales-tax extension or build a new (probably enclosed) stadium, which would cost at least $1.5 billion in Wyandotte County.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the Royals reportedly are considering sites in KCMO<\/a>, North Kansas City<\/a> and Overland Park<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI personally don’t care that much about the Chiefs one way or another,\u201d Handley said. \u201cBut I care about the Royals, and I’m so sorry this has gotten so messed up. I think the owner is a good person, but it’s all so messed up.\u201d<\/p>\n Mayor Quinton Lucas said KCMO remains committed to keeping both teams in the city.<\/p>\n “I\u2019ve been bullish all along that the Chiefs and the Royals are staying in Kansas City, Missouri,” he said. “… Our conversations never ended, our discussions never ended, and we look forward to working with the next county executive to make sure there is a good, fair deal for our taxpayers, but also one that keeps the teams right here in Kansas City MO.”<\/p>\n White sued last week, preemptively hoping to prevent the election results from being certified. The Missouri Supreme Court denied White a hearing<\/a> Wednesday.<\/p>\n \u2014<\/p>\n<\/div>\n