The president of the Kansas Senate said Thursday a meeting with bipartisan legislative leadership would be called July 7 to extend the deadline for the Kansas City Chiefs or Kansas City Royals to accept an offer of financial support for construction of professional sports stadiums in Kansas.
Senate President Ty Masterson said the Republican-dominated Legislative Coordinating Council, which conducts state business when the Legislature isn’t in session, would consider an extension of the one-year STAR bond deadline enacted in July 2024. Masterson didn’t indicate how lengthy the extension could be.
Masterson said Mark Donovan, president of the Chiefs, asked Kansas officials to alter the deadline “in light of substantial progress the Chiefs have made in discussions” with the Kansas Department of Commerce on an NFL development on the Kansas side of the border with Missouri.
Those discussions have included building of a stadium, headquarters, practice facility and related business developments, Donovan said.
“The letter from Mark Donovan indicates that the drive to bring this historic project to Kansas is moving down the field,” Masterson said. “Now that we are in the red zone, this extension will provide stakeholders sufficient time to ensure the ball crosses the goal line.”
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly signed a bill last year authorizing issuance of bonds that would cover up to 70% of stadium construction, but the law set the deadline for making a deal at June 30, 2025.
Last month, Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed legislation that would finance up to 50% of the cost to renovate or build new stadiums for the Royals and Chiefs. Missouri’s commitment of tax revenue would be capped at $1.5 billion.
The NFL and MLB franchises play at facilities in Kansas City, Missouri, that were built in the early 1970s. Owners of the teams have encouraged formation of public funding packages that would support replacement of those stadiums. Debate about the future of both franchises has rekindled the economic border war between Missouri and Kansas.
The Legislative Coordinating Council would take up the measure altering the deadline at 2 p.m. July 7 in Topeka.
“The complexity and scale of the project, and the importance of crafting a structure that works for all stakeholders, make it clear that more time is needed to bring the effort to full fruition,” Donovan said in a letter to Masterson.
He said the Chiefs had engaged in multiple rounds of dialogue about stadium proposals with the state Department of Commerce. The Chiefs hadn’t received a response to the franchise’s latest proposal in six weeks, he said.
“Extending the secretary’s authority will allow that process to continue productively and will preserve Kansas’ ability to secure the most significant economic development initiative in its history,” Donovan’s letter said.
This story was originally published by the Kansas Reflector.
