<\/p>\n
By Peggy Lowe<\/a>, Sherman Smith<\/a> and Steve Kraske<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n A Kansas legislative committee will meet Monday to take one of the final steps toward luring the Kansas City Chiefs across the state line, floating bonds worth hundreds of millions of dollars so the team can build a domed stadium and an entertainment district.<\/p>\n With a year-end deadline looming, the Legislative Coordinating Council will consider approving the Sales Tax and Revenue, or STAR, bond agreement with the Chiefs. Monday is the council\u2019s last scheduled meeting of the year.<\/p>\n With the bonds\u2019 approval, the Kansas City Chiefs could move closer to uprooting six decades of NFL history in Missouri and relocate to Kansas. The deal is said to call for placing the new stadium near The Legends, a regional shopping mall and commercial area in the Village West development in Kansas City, Kansas.<\/p>\n David Haley, a long-time Democratic state senator from Wyandotte County, said Thursday that he\u2019s hearing talk that the team is headed to The Legends.<\/p>\n The site of the new stadium could be west of the Kansas Speedway, at the junction of Interstate 435 and Interstate 70. The potential entertainment district surrounding the stadium would be placed near other existing businesses, like Legends Outlets, the Hollywood Casino and Sporting KC\u2019s soccer stadium.<\/p>\n In a surprise, the council will not consider any deals with the Kansas City Royals on Monday.<\/p>\n Leaders refused to offer specifics about the meeting and would say only that the Chiefs will be on the agenda. Senate President Ty Masterson, a Republican running for governor, said he has worked diligently to explore the change to bring the Chiefs to Kansas without raising taxes.<\/p>\n \u201cHe remains fully committed to these efforts and will continue working tirelessly up to and through the upcoming Legislative Coordinating Council meeting to facilitate this exciting opportunity for Kansas,\u201d said Megan Stookey, Masterson\u2019s spokesperson.<\/p>\n Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, a Lenexa Democrat, said she was told that the committee would be talking about the Chiefs on Monday \u2014 but not the Royals, ruling out speculation that the MLB team is also moving to Kansas, at least for now. The council is composed of leaders from the state House and Senate and meets when the full Legislature is not in session.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will be talking about the Chiefs,\u201d Sykes said. \u201cIt sounds like there is some proposal that we will be looking at.\u201d<\/p>\n The Kansas Department of Commerce, which handles such deals,\u00a0posted on Facebook<\/a>\u00a0that the state is in active discussions with the Chiefs about \u201cbuilding a new stadium and other facilities in Kansas.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo final agreement has been reached, but this would be a massive economic win for Kansas and benefit Kansans for generations to come,\u201d the statement said. \u201cWe are aggressively pursuing this opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n The Chiefs didn\u2019t return an email seeking comment.<\/p>\n Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe said he remains in frequent communication with the Royals and the Chiefs and wants to keep the teams in Missouri.<\/p>\n \u201cHe believes Missouri is the best home for both teams and continues working with the teams to make the right decision to grow and invest in the Show-Me State,\u201d said his communications director, Gabby Picard.<\/p>\n Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas issued a statement late Thursday saying the city doesn\u2019t negotiate in public.<\/p>\n \u201cAs the city and our Missouri partners continue discussions with our long-term partners at the Chiefs and the Royals, we remain steadfast in working toward an arrangement in the best interest of our community and the greatest success of our teams on and off the field,\u201d Lucas said.<\/p>\n After a ping-pong of public-financing proposals offered by the two states, the Chiefs face a decision on\u00a0Kansas\u2019 deal<\/u><\/a>, which could\u00a0cover up to 70% of the project<\/u><\/a>\u00a0through bonds. Missouri\u2019s plan offered 50%.<\/p>\n Missouri hit a wall in its bid to keep the Chiefs after voters rejected a sales tax extension in April 2024, throwing in jeopardy a plan that would have helped fund a new $2 billion downtown ballpark for the Kansas City Royals and $800 million in renovations to Arrowhead Stadium. That\u2019s when Kansas lawmakers aggressively stepped in, quickly authorizing STAR bonds, which allow cities to issue bonds for major developments.<\/p>\n Presumably, a new stadium won\u2019t open until at least 2031, when the team\u2019s leases with Jackson County, Missouri, expire.<\/p>\n The Chiefs began playing in Kansas City in 1963 after owner Lamar Hunt moved the franchise from Dallas. The team first played at Municipal Stadium, at 22nd Street and Brooklyn Avenue, then moved to Arrowhead in 1971. The Truman Sports Complex, on the city\u2019s east side, is also home to the Royals, and the teams share parking lots.<\/p>\n The Chiefs sold the naming rights in 2021 to the Government Employees Health Association and the official name became\u00a0GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n The Chiefs\u2019 negotiations with Kansas took a serious turn last month when the team floated a request for proposals from firms to design a domed stadium, which would make the stadium available for use during the Super Bowl and other winter events. The team was said to be\u00a0negotiating with NASCAR\u00a0<\/u><\/a>for land near the Speedway.<\/p>\n