KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jackson County Executive Frank White told legislators Monday he has not had contact with the Chiefs and Royals since voters rejected a sales tax proposal on April 2 to help fund stadium projects for each team.
White said he hadn’t reached out to the teams. He added, “They haven’t reached out to me at this point. It’s only been a few days.”
Legislator Manny Abarca, who’s been critical of White during the negotiations ahead of April’s vote, asked White about his strategy now.
“Well, you’re advocating for them to go to Kansas,” White responded. “I don’t know if that’s a good strategy for an elected official in Missouri to have. My goal is to reach out to the teams and see if I can get them back to the table so we can try to move this thing forward.”
White was referring to Abarca’s comments on election night when he told KSHB 41 News the tax failure opens the door for Kansas to poach one or both teams from Jackson County.
“The reality is that [Kansas] Governor Kelly is looking at this election and saying, ‘Wow, maybe there’s an opportunity before December.’ If I were her, that would be the first place I would call,” Abarca said last week.
Voters denied a 3/8th-cent sales tax over 40 years that would have collected about $2 billion for the teams to split. The Chiefs would have used their share of the money to renovate GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. The Royals planned to use their share of the money to build a new stadium in downtown Kansas City’s Crossroads neighborhood. Both teams would’ve invested their own private dollars into their respective projects alongside funds collected through the tax.
White told legislators he has a strategy moving forward, but did not want to share any details publicly.
Both teams said they'd evaluate their options following the sales tax failure.
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