Kansas and Missouri lawmakers want MLB Royals business.
There could be a push in the Missouri legislature to give Major League Baseball’s Kanas City Royals owner John Sherman $300 million in aid to build a ballpark in North Kansas City which is about two miles from Kansas City. But the Missouri legislature adjoins on May 16th so things have to move rapidly for the money to be available. It is unclear if North Kansas City and Clay County politicians have money to help build Sherman’s stadium.
The problem for Sherman began in April 2024 when Jackson County, Missouri voters said no to extending a sales tax that would have funded a Major League Baseball’s Kansas City Royals’ downtown stadium and would have renovated the National Football League Kansas City Chiefs franchise owner Clark Hunt’s football venue. There is nothing new from Kansas where local politicians have indicated that they might want the Chiefs and Royals’ businesses in their state. Kansas lawmakers are still mulling over 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. There is a problem with Kansas though. The offer expires on June 30th although the state legislature could extend the deadline. Missouri politicians have been scrambling to put together a financial package to keep Hunt’s Chiefs business and MLB Royals’ owner Sherman in the state. But time is not on the state lawmakers side, something has to be done very soon.
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