KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Voters in Jackson County, Mo., on Tuesday resoundingly rejected approval of an extension of the three-eighths-cent sales tax on a ballot initiative aimed at ensuring that Royals and Kansas City Chiefs. in the county for at least the next 25 years.
Before 9 p.m. CT, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas used his X account to announce that the vote had not passed.
Less than an hour later, both the Royals and Chiefs admitted their defeat was crushing. As of 10 p.m. CT, 100 percent of the votes have been counted – 78,352 voting no (58 percent) and 56,606 voting yes (42 percent).
“We respect the democratic process, we respect the voters of Jackson County and the results of the election,” John Sherman, the new owner of the Royals, said Tuesday evening. “We are deeply disappointed, as we firmly believe that Jackson County is much better off with the Chiefs and Royals. It’s a belief I hold both professionally and personally, as someone whose roots run deep in this city.
“We will take time to reflect and process the outcome and find a path forward that works for the Royals and our fans.”
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For more than two years, Sherman has wanted to build a stadium in downtown Kansas City, which would ideally be open by the 2028 season. Before Tuesday’s vote, the Chiefs expressed their commitment to remaining in the Truman Sports Complex, where the two teams’ sites have been located since 1973. The teams are in the process of sharing a lease that runs until January 31. 2031.
But based on Tuesday’s results, the long-term future of both teams and where the Royals and Chiefs will host their home games is unclear.
“The people of Kansas City and Jackson County love the Chiefs and Royals,” Lucas wrote on his X account. “Today they rejected plans and processes they deemed inadequate. In the coming months, I look forward to working with the Chiefs and Royals to build a stronger, more open and more collaborative collaboration process that will ensure the teams, their events and their investments remain in Kansas City for the generations to come.
If voters had approved the sales tax extension, that money would have generated about $2 billion, a sizable chunk that would have helped fund a state-of-the-art baseball stadium and several renovations to 52-year-old Arrowhead Stadium. A 20-year-old structure that will be one of the host venues for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. When the terms of the vote were finalized in January, the construction plans that the tax would finance were not finalized.
Last fall, the Royals announced two potential locations for their ballpark: one east of downtown and the other in Clay County, Missouri, across the river Missouri. The Royals, however, failed to meet their own deadline to finalize their top spot. On February 13, the Royals announced a different location for their new stadium – and possible entertainment district – in the Crossroads neighborhood. The Chiefs shared their plans for Arrowhead renovations – changes that would improve suites, video boards and club lounges – on February 28.
Days before the vote, Sherman said the Royals would pledge at least $1 billion from their ownership group for their project. Projected renovations at Arrowhead are expected to cost $800 million. Chiefs team owner Clark Hunt said he and his family would contribute $300 million.
“Our goal and our belief is that voters are going to approve the sales tax extension,” Hunt said. Athleticism last week during the NFL owners meetings. “We’re not focused on what happens if it doesn’t pass. But we will certainly have to consider all our alternatives.
Last month, the Chiefs and Royals entered into community benefits agreements with the Jackson County Sports Complex Authority, which included more than $260 million in support and more than $200 million in economic assistance for the county in eliminating the requirement to pay stadium insurance premiums and park taxes. to the teams.
Several city and county leaders, however, felt the financial commitments from the Royals and Chiefs were not enough. Jackson County Executive Frank White, a Royals Hall of Famer, never fully accepted the proposal. KC Tenants, a tenant and housing rights group with 10,000 members, also campaigned against the proposal, urging voters to reject the extension by pointing out that taxpayers would pay too high a percentage to help build a new stadium and further modernize Arrowhead.
“Two billion dollars of taxpayer money, man, could do an awful lot to grow our community,” Michael Savwoir, a KC Tenants union leader, told Kansas City’s Fox4 on Tuesday evening. . “Billionaires don’t finance my madness. Why should I fund theirs? I think we can all agree that it was a pretty lousy job of selling anything, pretty lousy in terms of how it was delivered – the message, the deception, the force and the extortion.
Sherman has repeatedly said the Royals’ final possible season at Kauffman Stadium, opened in 1973, would be the 2030 season. Before Tuesday’s election, Sherman and Clark each said they had no plan B if the sales tax extension was not passed. If the Royals fail to move to a new downtown stadium before 2030, one possible outcome would be that the franchise leaves Kansas City altogether for another market willing to build a new ballpark.
In 2032, the Chiefs could be playing in front of their fans in Kansas, as developers from across the state have sent team proposals in recent years. During these discussions, developers recommended several attractive sites for a state-of-the-art NFL stadium and practice facility. A logical destination might be in Kansas City, Kansas, near the Kansas Speedway and Children’s Mercy Park, home of Sporting Kansas City.
“We’re disappointed,” Chiefs team president Mark Donovan said Tuesday night. “We believe we have presented the best offer for Jackson County. We were ready to extend the long-standing partnership the teams enjoy with this county.
“We will do and seek to do what is in the best interest of our fans and our organization as we move forward.”
Tim Smith, campaign director of the New Royals Stadium Tax Committee, celebrated the election result by praising voters who are demanding more from the Royals and Chiefs.
“People across Jackson County, regardless of political persuasion, rose to the occasion to fight Goliath,” Smith told Fox4. “I’m happy to report that we killed Goliath tonight. This is the message to billionaires: ordinary people still matter. »
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(Photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images)