Jacob Kittilstad and Shannon Rousseau
1 hour ago
TOPEKA, Kan. — Within 48 hours of Kansas City Chiefs CEO appointment Clark Hunt indicated team will consider all optionsthe Kansas State Legislature is moving to implement tools to attract a team and the Kansas City Royals, including the possibility of a new domed stadium.
A last-minute proposal to revise the STAR bonds that helped build Kansas Speedway and Children's Mercy Park was filed by lawmakers nearing the end of the veto period. It's not a team name.
The reality is that for many Kansas legislators, I saw the April 2nd voting results from Jackson County. And felt a few different ways.
Fear that the team might leave and hope that Kansas State might offer something.
With one day left in Kansas' veto convention, lawmakers are still making moves.
One idea would be to repeal the stalled insurance law and replace it with legislation that would incentivize teams like the Chiefs and Royals to come across state lines.
Rep. Sean Tarwater, R-Stillwell, said he doesn't want to lean back and wait to see what happens next.
“Well, there may be a good chance that the Kansas City metropolitan area loses one or both teams because of the tax vote that happened,” he said. “Our goal is to hopefully attract one or both of them and make sure they stay in the metropolitan area for the next 30 to 40 years.”
ideas on the table. Temporarily make STAR bonds more profitable, attract teams to stadiums, and collect state taxes and revenue from the anticipated increase in activity.
“Well, I think they've made a statement that they're looking at all options. We just want to be a part of it and we want to be the most lucrative option,” Tarwater said. “I haven't had any conversations with the team. But I want to make sure we have the right tools, just in case. And we'll have a meeting, hopefully today, to get the STAR Bond Act approved.” We want to make some changes to make it more friendly to them.”
“There's already a big word out there for sports venues. But for something this big, if we can make some changes and make it temporary and tempt them, we'll do it.” he continued. “But we're still negotiating on that, so we're hoping that something will come together by the end of today. The goal is to get it done today.”
Hunt addressed the media over the weekend as part of the NFL Draft. However, it was his comments regarding the possibility of a new stadium that attracted the most attention.
The CEO and chairman told reporters the Chiefs will consider all options. I was disappointed with the results of the stadium vote on April 2nd..
Certainly, the Jackson County Council doesn't like that possibility. They want the team to stay where it is.
“We have to be open-minded about how we approach this issue, but that could involve a new stadium, it could be an outdoor stadium, it could be a domed stadium,” he said. It’s also sexual,” Hunt said.
The Chiefs have 6 1/2 years left on their Truman Sports Complex contract, and the clock is ticking on whether they will stay in Arrowhead and renovate it or move out of state to Kansas.
“Now that they're starting to talk about this openly, it makes us reconsider, is the Truman Sports Complex likely going to be viable beyond 2031?” said Jackson County Councilman Manny Abarca. I think it's an opportunity.”
On Saturday, Hunt said Arrowhead was definitely still an option, but would work independently from the Royals.
“We just need to work on it as soon as possible. It's not something that will happen in a few weeks, it will take months, years to find the right solution,” he said.
“I think there's an opportunity to go back to the polls. Voters deserve to have their voices heard, and my sense from that election was that voters wanted more detailed information. So maybe we can get there,” Abarca said.
FOX4 asked Abarca when voters will again have the opportunity to vote on separate ballot issues for both teams. He said it would be on the ballot in August, just four months away.
