Royals, Chiefs pledge downtown ballpark, Arrowhead renovation in exchange for sales tax extension

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - TheKansas City Royals have made their intentions clear: if Jackson County voters extend a 3/8-cent sales tax for 40 years, they will renovate Arrowhead Stadium and build a downtown ballpark, respectively.

The two organizations released a statement Friday afternoon announcing their vision as the deadline looms for adding an agenda item to the April ballot in Clay and Jackson counties.

The announcement marks the first time the Royals have publicly declared their preference to build a downtown stadium and ballpark district.

The Royals and Chiefs said that as part of the agreement, the team would agree “to provide more than $200 million in new economic benefits to Jackson County over 40 years in a new lease agreement, alleviating the County’s obligation to pay stadium insurance s, as well as the park levy to the teams.”

READ MORE: Clock ticking for Royals to get on Clay County’s April ballot

The two clubs stated they will provide Jackson County with the following benefits:

• Paying for insurance coverages for their respective facilities -- costs currently paid by the County -- for the extension term of the Chiefs’ lease and new term of the Royals’ lease. This will result in a cost savings to the County of approximately $80 million to $100 million over the course of the extended and new term of the leases.
• Providing the County the ability to reallocate each team’s share of an existing park property tax for other County uses for the extension term of the Chiefs’ lease and new term of the Royals’ lease. This will allow the County to utilize approximately $140 million for other County purposes over the course of the extended and new term of the leases.
• The teams are committed to entering into a robust community benefits agreement similar to agreements provided by other NFL and MLB teams for other venues providing for various initiatives that will benefit the citizens of Jackson County.

On Thursday, a meeting led by Rep. Manny Abarca was held with of the community. Many in attendance demanded a community benefit agreement, something both organizations pledged in their Friday statement.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas released a statement Friday afternoon ing the teams’ April ballot request.

“Retaining the Chiefs and the Royals and the events hosted at the team’s facilities like Beyonce and Taylor Swift and global sporting events like the MLB All-Star Game and the World Cup is a priority for Kansas City -- at a fair value for our taxpayers,” Lucas said. “The Chiefs, the Royals, County Executive (Frank) White, and the County Legislature have made great strides in their efforts to ensure voters have a fair deal to evaluate on the April 2024 ballot.

“I thank all parties for their efforts to secure a good deal for Jackson County and Kansas City taxpayers, and it is worthy of presentment to the voters, so that they may make their voices heard this April.”

Jackson County Executive Frank White released a statement following the t release from the Chiefs and Royals that read, in part:

“As Jackson County Executive, I want to make sure the community knows where I stand on the current status of our discussions with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Kansas City Royals. It is important for the community to understand that while discussions are ongoing, no agreement has been finalized with either team.

“As we navigate these crucial negotiations involving potential commitments of billions of taxpayer dollars, I want to make it abundantly clear: I have not, and will not, rush into any agreement. The well-being of Jackson County and its residents is my foremost priority. We are mindful that we have weeks until the April ballot deadline. But we also have seven years remaining on our current leases with both teams, providing us a valuable window to thoroughly evaluate all proposals.”

The Jackson County Legislature is scheduled to meet Monday, Jan. 8 at 3 p.m. That’s the last opportunity the Legislature has to discuss ballot measures for April before the Jan. 22 deadline.

Royals owner John Sherman announced in July that the team would has since backed off that timeline.

The Royals and Chiefs initially asked for different in extending the 3/8th-cent sales tax that s the Truman Sports Complex, the Jackson County Sports Authority said in September. The Royals wanted a 40-year sales tax to stay in the county, while the Chiefs ed a 25-year extension of the sales tax.

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Editor’s Note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated.

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