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.
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Members of the Missouri House of Representatives will meet Monday in Jefferson City to discuss a proposal to help fund stadiums for professional sports teams.
The Missouri Senate passed Senate Bill 3 early Thursday morning during a special legislative session.
The bill creates the Show Me Sports Investment Act. This establishes a method to use sales and income tax dollars generated at a stadium to pay off construction loans to build or renovate a stadium.
To qualify, the stadium project must include more than 30,000 seats, serve a professional baseball or football team, and the total project must cost more than $500 million.
This offer is a counter to Kansas' STAR Bonds law that would use sales tax dollars to pay for up to 70% of a project should either team relocate to Kansas.
Missouri's funding method can pay for up to 50% of a project. It requires the county or city where the stadium is located to dedicate public funds to the project as well. No local municipality has committed public money to a project as of yet.
“I’m not opposed to increasing taxes as long as it goes to things that benefit the public,” said Ebony Germany, a Chiefs fan visiting Kansas City.
Both the Royals and Chiefs support the proposal.
“We’re talking 1 to 2 billion dollars worth of construction both within the stadium as well as the surrounding district,” a lobbyist representing the Royals told a Senate committee Tuesday about possible plans for building a new stadium in Missouri.
“The plan to stay in Missouri would be to renovate Arrowhead. It is a plan that costs $1.15 billion,” a Chiefs lobbyist told the fiscal oversight committee.
Some senators tried to add a property tax cap to the bill in order to give taxpayers some relief. The final version of the Senate bill gives 97 counties the option to cap property taxes through a vote of the people. Jackson and Clay counties are not included in that list.
Experts predict the House might vote on the bill by Wednesday, June 11, at the earliest.
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