The stadium game continues in Kansas City.
Kansas State Senate President Ty Masterson thinks he will be hearing from the owner of Major League Baseball’s Kansas City Royals franchise, John Sherman, soon about a possible move to Overland Park, Kansas. Masterson chairs the state’s Legislative Coordinating Council and said “I am anticipating being presented with a proposal from the Department of Commerce and the team either at my late November or early December LCC Meeting. That’s what I’m expecting.” Kansas politicians have set a December 31st deadline for Sherman to decide on whether he wants to move from Jackson County, Missouri to Overland Park.
Sherman has been looking for financial help from Kansas and from Missouri since Jackson County voters said no in April 2024 to extending a sales tax that would have partly paid for a downtown Kansas City baseball venue and a renovation of the National Football League’s Kansas City Chiefs’ business home stadium. Missouri and Kansas have proposed financial packages to help pay for the construction of a stadium or in Missouri’s case the renovation of the football stadium. North Kansas City and Clay County political and business leaders are interested in bringing Sherman’s business north of Kansas City. Kansas lawmakers approved a proposal that would see STAR bonds used to help pay 75% of the cost of building two stadiums in Kansas. Additionally, sports gambling and lottery gaming and sales tax revenue from businesses in the stadium development districts would cover bond debt. Another source of revenue to pay off the debt would come from a liquor tax. Kansas lawmakers could use a mechanism that would allow up to 100% of sales tax revenue on alcoholic liquor sales within a stadium district to pay off bonds for the structures. Missouri politicians will pay up to 50 percent of the construction costs in an attempt to keep the businesses in the state. The stadium game continues.
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Ty Masterson
