KSHB 41 reporter Charlie Keegan covers politics on both sides of the state line. If you have a story idea to share, you can send Charlie an email at charlie.keegan@kshb.com.
—
On Monday, Kansas extended a deadline to keep negotiating with the Chiefs and the Royals. However, some lawmakers hinted negotiators are focused more on the Royals than the Chiefs.
"It appears there's some instructions to try to get something done with the Royals first before you deal with the Chiefs; that's unacceptable," said Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, a Republican from Andover.
A Department of Commerce spokesperson said negotiators are talking with both teams, writing, "Communication and negotiations between the Commerce Department and both the Chiefs and Royals have been ongoing since the Legislature approved the STAR Bonds statute to include stadiums for professional teams."
One reason Kansas might focus on the Royals is the team plays more games, which means more opportunities to pay off STAR Bonds.
"I would think the Royals would have an advantage there just because of the sheer number of games," said Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes (D-Lenexa).
Both the Kansas City Royals and Kansas City Chiefs are reviewing stadium incentive offers from Kansas and Missouri.
The Royals have confirmed they will leave Kauffman Stadium. An affiliate of the team acquired the mortgage of the Aspiria campus — located at 119th Street and Nall Avenue in Overland Park — this spring.
Johnny's Tavern is a few blocks away from the Aspiria campus.
"I think baseball is just a Kansas kind of thing," said Carter Smith, a diner at Johnny's.
"I grew up here, it'd be cool to have it in Kansas, for me," said Joe Gloeckner, who works on the Aspiria campus.
Most fans are open to the Royals moving to Kansas, but they want the Chiefs to stay put.
"The 142.2 decibels, that can't be recreated in a new stadium," Trey Allred said, referring to a world record for loudest crowd set at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Chiefs have stated that if they move to Kansas, they would build a domed stadium, creating opportunities to host more winter events, including the Super Bowl.
If they stay in Missouri, the team will most likely renovate GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
"The Chiefs, I'm a little different on because I love the atmosphere," Gloeckner admitted.
"I think renovating it would be a good idea," Andy Yeast said.
If the Royals choose to stay in Missouri, a couple of potential sites have been discussed.
North Kansas City is a location the team previously considered, and lawmakers have confirmed the site is still on the table. The stadium would be built off 18th Avenue, near businesses along Armour Road.
The city of Kansas City, Missouri, has pushed for the team to build a stadium in Washington Square Park, which would put it along the streetcar route and near Union Station and Crown Center.
Chiefs President Mark Donovan says a renovation project will cost more than $1 billion and would need local support in addition to state incentive funding, requiring voters to decide on a tax.
"If you look at the way the deals have worked in the past, and what we proposed in April, was to continue a tax. I think the numbers make the most sense that way," Donovan said. "Your two windows are November and April. I think, given the timeline, it would be difficult to hit the November date at this point, so you're looking more and more at April."
Taxpayers voted against the stadium tax in April 2024, which would have provided funding for both the Chiefs and Royals.
Each state's offer differs significantly.
The Show-Me Sports Investment Act allows Missouri to pay for 50% of a stadium project. Missouri would use sales and income taxes generated at the stadium to pay for the project.
Kansas' STAR Bonds will pay up to 70%. Kansas wants to use sales tax only from the stadium and a surrounding district.
Missouri would set aside tax dollars for 30 years, while Kansas would for only 20.
—
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
