Missouri governor announces special session in attempt to keep Chiefs, Royals in state

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Governor Mike Kehoe is expected to announce plans for a special session Tuesday morning.

The governor previously said he planned to call a special session to discuss the possibility of providing tax breaks to keep the Kansas City Royals and Chiefs in Missouri.

A last-second idea to use tax revenue by the teams to finance bonds to build a new stadium didn’t have enough to get through the regular session earlier this month.

“The Kansas City Chiefs and Royals are Missouri’s teams. They are Missouri’s teams,” Kehoe stated. “And they drive billions of dollars in economic activity through tourism, job creation, small business — including hotels, restaurants and retails."

The governor’s office stated that the Chiefs contribute $575 million annually in economic value and more than 4,500 jobs in Jackson County alone, bringing the state nearly $30 million in annual tax revenue.

Kehoe added that a new ballpark district for the Royals is expected to 8,400 jobs and generate $1.2 billion in economic output annually.

The Chiefs and Royals have played professional football and baseball for five decades in side-by-side stadiums in eastern Kansas City in Jackson County, Missouri, drawing fans from both sides of the split metropolitan area. Their stadium leases run until 2031, and Royals owner John Sherman has said the team won’t play at Kauffman Stadium beyond the 2030 season.

Missouri officials are scrambling to come up with an offer because Kansas lawmakers last year authorized bonds for up to 70% of the cost of new stadiums, paying them off over 30 years with revenues from sports betting, Kansas Lottery ticket sales, and new sales and alcohol taxes.

“If Missouri does not put some sort of offer forward,” Kehoe said, “I think the risk is real that they don’t stay here.”

The special session will also address funding for relief of many in the St. Louis area who were hit hard by severe storms earlier in the month.

The special session agenda also includes spending on construction projects around the state, including $25 million to help fund a research nuclear reactor at the University of Missouri. Other proposed projects include more than $48 million in funding for a 200-bed mental health facility in Kansas City and $55 million for new livestock barns at the Missouri State Fairgrounds.

Kehoe announced the special session will begin on June 2, 2025.

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