Kansas legislative leaders decided on Monday to give the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals an extra six months to reach deals with the state on potential new stadiums.
The organizations now have until the end of the year to take advantage of a tax incentive package designed to lure the teams over from their long-time homes in Missouri.
Republican House Speaker Dan Hawkins blamed the delays on the state Department of Commerce, which is led by Democratic Lt. Gov. David Toland.
"Although I don't like having to extend the statute for this, I feel in fairness to the teams, it's incumbent on us to make sure that we do things that are fair and above-board," Hawkins said during the Legislative Coordinating Council meeting.
The deadline extension keeps supporters' dreams alive of bringing Kansas its first NFL or MLB team — if not both — by the early 2030s.
Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson called the meeting in late June to extend the June 30, 2025, deadline set during a special legislative session in 2024.
Masterson, a Republican, shared a letter from Mark Donovan, president of the Kansas City Chiefs. Donovan said the team had made strides on a plan to build a domed, Super Bowl-capable stadium in Kansas.
"At the same time," Donovan said, "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."
How did we get here?
Both teams have played at their respective stadiums in the Truman Sports Complex for over half a century. With aging facilities and leases expiring in 2031, the Chiefs and Royals have been planning changes for years.
But last year, voters in Jackson County, Missouri, rejected a sales tax extension to fund stadium renovations for the Chiefs and relocation for the Royals.
Kansas lawmakers jumped at the opportunity. In June of 2024, bipartisan majorities approved a plan to help cover up to 70% of the cost of a major stadium project — with the promise that taxpayers would not foot the bill.
Instead, the state would use a funding mechanism called Sales Tax and Revenue, or "STAR," bonds.
Private investors would purchase state-issued bonds to help pay for the stadium's construction. Revenues from economic activity that the development brings, like sales tax from food and ticket purchases, would be used to pay back the loans.
Supporters maintain that STAR Bonds are a way of raising capital for developments without burdening taxpayers. Though critics worry that sales tax revenue would go to paying off bonds rather than to the local or state governments.
Missouri officials, like Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, condemned Kansas' bid as a reignition of an economic "border war" from years past.
But the Missouri state Legislature has taken its time presenting a counter-offer. In June, nearly a year after Kansas' STAR Bonds proposal, Missouri lawmakers approved an incentive package to cover half of the costs to renovate the Chiefs' Arrowhead Stadium and relocate the Royals.
Meanwhile, the Kansas City Royals have shown interest in potential stadium sites in Kansas. The organization confirmed in May that an affiliate had bought the mortgage of the Aspiria development in Overland Park.
Nevertheless, the Royals insist they are still considering multiple options on both sides of the state line.
Lingering uncertainty
Time is running out for both teams to decide where they will go — let alone develop and build new sites — in the six years that stand between now and their leases expiring.
The Chiefs want to build a domed stadium, new headquarters, and a practice facility if they reach a deal on a new site. The Royals have previously planned to include a hotel, offices, and entertainment options in a new stadium development.
In his letter to Masterson, Chiefs president Donovan said his organization hadn't heard back from Kansas Department of Commerce Officials about their latest proposal in the past six weeks.
Democratic Lt. Gov. David Toland, who doubles as Kansas' secretary of commerce, said in a June statement that the negotiations were complicated and posed high stakes for taxpayers.
"Bringing the Royals and Chiefs to Kansas is a complex process with long-term opportunities, and implications, for generations to come," he said. "It's critically important that we get it right."
Zane Irwin reports on politics, campaigns and elections for the Kansas News Service. You can email him at zaneirwin@kcur.org.
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