After Failed Stadium Sales Tax Vote, County Legislator Fears Team Will Leave Jackson Co.
Jackson County voters resoundingly said ‘no’ to the stadium sales tax extension. Jackson County, Missouri, voters voted against a stadium sales tax extension, leading to fears that the Chiefs and Royals may leave Jackson County. Jackson County Legislator Manny Abarca attributes the vote to internal issues in the county, like the recent property tax fiasco. He also suggested that the teams' plans needed more clarity regarding their future locations. Now, interested parties are in the running for both the teams. Clay County officials are also in talks with the Royals about a ballpark north of the river. Despite these setbacks, Kansas City mayor Quinton Lucas expressed confidence in keeping the teams in town.
Published : a month ago by Mark Poulose in Politics
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – Jackson County voters resoundingly said ‘no’ to the stadium sales tax extension. Thursday afternoon, Jackson County Legislator Manny Abarca told KCTV5 he thinks this may be the beginning of the end of the Chiefs and Royals in Jackson County.
“Right now, I’m not sure they even want to be in Jackson County anymore,” Abarca said.
Abarca places some of the blame on the ‘no’ vote on internal issues in the county, like the recent property tax fiasco.
“I read my emails constantly and they are talking about, ‘No money to the stadiums until the assessments are fixed,’” Abarca said.
Abarca also thinks the teams’ plans needed more clarity, so voters would have been comfortable with four more decades of the stadium sales tax.
“I think the teams needed to think about where they want to be for sure, and making sure those plans are crystal clear, understanding the financial structure of those things,” said Abarca.
Now, suitors are lining up for both the Chiefs and Royals. Dallas Mayor, Eric Johnson, posted an article about the doomed tax on X, with the caption, “Welcome home, Dallas Texans.”
Closer to home, Clay County officials say they’d like to restart talks with the Royals about a ballpark north of the river.
“I think [the teams] are free agents at the moment, and they are looking at their offers,” Abarca said. “They are trying to create better offers for themselves in different markets, and some markets are coming to them. That is a concern for Jackson Countians.”
Abarca does not see a way for Jackson County to return to the negotiating table. He hopes Kansas City, as a metro, can find a way to keep the teams in town.
“What we’re talking about here is private businesses, private business owners, making decisions in the best interests of themselves, not about some public interest, charitable organization,” Abarca said. “I want to keep the teams here and that would also include across the state line or across the river. If that’s what it takes to keep them here, I’m willing to be helpful.”
Thursday night, Kansas City mayor, Quinton Lucas, projected confidence. In a post on X, Lucas said, “I hear rumors, including even the Mayor of Dallas. Don’t believe the noise. We are committed to the retention of our teams with vastly lower expenses—think needed infrastructure buildout—than even an intra-metro move. Both teams will be in KCMO in 2040 and long after.”
Topics: Taxes