McDowell: Why The Chiefs Pursuit to Renovate Arrowhead Has Hit A Snag

[tk13]

We've been talking about this for a few weeks over in the Royals thread. It's been interesting to see how quiet the Chiefs have been while the Royals negotiate for a new stadium, and in the last couple weeks there's more and more smoke that the Chiefs and Royals staying in Jackson County is not a sure thing. Sam McDowell finally wrote about it. It's a very long column so I just picked some highlights. It's a good breakdown of the situation. It sounds like Kansas hasn't made any serious offers but they're the obvious alternative if Jackson County decides to punt, and it sounds like the Royals and Chiefs want answers soon.

https://www.kansascity.com/sports/sp...282553078.html

The Chiefs are quietly evaluating the need to pursue alternatives outside Jackson County as their push to negotiate a renewal of a county-wide sales tax has failed to launch substantive conversations, multiple sources told The Star. Well, it was quietly. You’re probably aware of the recent rhetoric, including from some local politicians, implying that the Chiefs already have one foot out the door — and are strutting toward Kansas, no less. That gasoline-on-the-fire message follows a worst-case-scenario playbook, not to mention a Kansas City tactic of pitting two states against each other for its prized assets. But this doesn’t paint an entirely accurate picture. The Chiefs have not engaged in serious conversations with outside parties about a move across the state line, sources told me, a sentiment confirmed to The Star’s Katie Bernard by Brianna Johnson, a spokeswoman for Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly. That doesn’t mean they won’t.

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The Royals started and initially drove the stadium conversation, not only publicly, but behind the scenes too. The Chiefs weren’t completely silent observers, but they appeared content to allow the Royals to negotiate a new lease with Jackson County and county executive Frank White, and then follow with what would ideally be a smoother and quicker conversation.

The latter has just simply not been the case. The former, waiting on the conclusion of Royals’ negotiations, has since changed. What’s been lost along the way is that the Chiefs, too, are interested in an April 2024 ballot measure, for reasons I’ll cover here. And as a Jan. 23 deadline to secure that ballot measure has neared, they ignited their own talks, separate from the Royals, earlier this fall. “We have met with Frank and the county attorneys in an introductory meeting,” Chiefs team president Mark Donovan said in a statement. “We shared that we would like to focus on extending the current 3/8th-cent sales tax. This partnership has served us well for over 50 years, and we look forward to working with them to enhance the amazing community asset that GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium has become.” Where do those talks stand now? “We have not heard back from the county,” Donovan said.

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The Chiefs have sought a 25-year renewal of the 3/8th-cent sales tax passed in 2006, as Donovan’s statement said, with no significant additions to the long-standing lease. That’s the path they are attempting to navigate, with a conclusion that would keep them at Arrowhead, a fan-favorite, for the next quarter-century. But in my discussions with an array of politicos, it’s evident to many that White does not believe the current lease agreement benefits Jackson County, which funds and manages the facilities but does not receive direct revenue from the stadiums. The deal is more complicated than the tax — for example, no one has raised a hand to pay for demolition of Kauffman Stadium if the Royals move, an expense that would total tens of millions of dollars.

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White is positioned at the center of this saga as the county executive who just so happens to be a member of the Royals Hall of Fame. But his lack of eagerness to extend the status quo is not an isolated view within the county, sources said. He has at least some support from the legislature, though there are varying opinions about the reach and depth of that support. And therefore it’s notable that others within the county government want to create a path for the Chiefs to circumvent White by securing backing from a majority of the legislators to extend the sales tax. There is doubt, however, about whether they would have enough support to override a potential veto from White, if it were to come to that.

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The Royals, who have had more frequent meetings with the county, have stated their preference to play downtown baseball sooner rather than later. Their recent focus has primarily been analyzing the logistics of the former Kansas City Star press building along the south loop, and they have started the process of creating renderings for the site, sources said. They’ve also publicly stated their target of an April ballot measure, which comes with that rapidly approaching Jan. 23 deadline. It’s a deadline that the Chiefs are targeting, too — with a more concrete plan, at least to date. I’ll put this out there before I continue: In the course of speaking with several people for this column, there are overwhelmingly more who classify an April ballot measure as a long-shot than those who expect the county and teams to reach an agreement before the mid-January date.

Read more at: https://www.kansascity.com/sports/sp...#storylink=cpy

[ChiefsFanatic]

Originally Posted by RealSNR

Sorry your old bones can't handle the cold anymore, geezer. It's a young man's world, and football played in the elements is ****ing awesome.

Sure, and Final Fours and a possible Super Bowl would also be awesome.

Also, it would be great to see a major concert in the summer without the sun baking everyone alive.

[tk13]

It's on now. Frank White vetoed putting the tax on the ballot and as it stands now he has the votes to make it stand. If someone doesn't flip back in the next four days the chances of the Royals and Chiefs leaving Missouri would have to go up I'd imagine.

Sean Smith is the fourth legislator to publicly support Frank White's veto "without ... documentation that is clear and unambiguous and signed by all parties."

As it stands this afternoon, the Chiefs and Royals do not have the votes to override White's veto for an April ballot. https://t.co/k3uenUsRRf

— Sam McDowell (@SamMcDowell11) January 18, 2024

[Al Bundy]

Originally Posted by tk13

It's on now. Frank White vetoed putting the tax on the ballot and as it stands now he has the votes to make it stand. If someone doesn't flip back in the next four days the chances of the Royals and Chiefs leaving Missouri would have to go up I'd imagine.

Sean Smith is the fourth legislator to publicly support Frank White's veto "without ... documentation that is clear and unambiguous and signed by all parties."

As it stands this afternoon, the Chiefs and Royals do not have the votes to override White's veto for an April ballot. https://t.co/k3uenUsRRf

— Sam McDowell (@SamMcDowell11) January 18, 2024

The Chiefs need to have a dome, Superbowl, Final Fours that kind of stuff.

[philfree]

So what is Franks goal? I'm not from KC so I don't know anything about the politics of this.

[stevieray]

Originally Posted by ChiefsFanatic

If Clark Hunt didn't grow up in Arrowhead, and if Lamar Hunt hadn't always said Arrowhead was his dream, the Chiefs would probably already be playing in a new stadium in Kansas.

We never were and never will be the Kansas Chiefs, regardless of this pure speculation.

[Eleazar]

Does Frank White really want to be the guy who sent the Chiefs and Royals away?

Over a simple vote to maintain the status quo?

[TribalElder]

Frank White is a piece of shit who should not be in a leadership position

[KCUnited]

At least when they move to Kansas it will finally end all confusion to the rest of the world as to which state they actually play in

[Zap Rowsdower]

Frank White is secretly employed by the state of Kansas.

[Mr. Plow]

Originally Posted by stevieray

We never were and never will be the Kansas Chiefs, regardless of this pure speculation.

Are they the Missouri Chiefs now?

[ChiefsFanatic]

Originally Posted by Eleazar

Does Frank White really want to be the guy who sent the Chiefs and Royals away?

Over a simple vote to maintain the status quo?

Look, I am not happy with him either, but some of the things he said he needs before signing off are actually really good for Jackson County residents, and those things probably should be a part of the proposal.

However, I have said many times, and it pisses people off, but I won't vote for anything that doesn't include covering whatever stadium with a roof, preferably a retractable roof.

[Shiver Me Timbers]

First and foremost-
I loved frank White when he was a Royal. Past that he is a bit of a dimwit. I loved cookie rojas as well but ain't no scenario on earth I want him in politcs. George Brett (and his statue) hell yes.

If the Hunts tell Jackson County/Raytown to pound sand and decide to build a new version of Arrowhead 2. I applaud it.

I do not give two hoots what side of the river the new stadium is located. I am thinking anyone outside of Jackson County feels the same. The are THE KANSAS City Chiefs. It Dont say MO and it don't say Ray.

There are 4 or 5 or 6 other counties in the metro area that probably will welcome the stadium. Let the market decide.

Sincerely,
A guy who lives close to what is soon to be the Aurora Broncos and a fan of seeing what Arrowhead 2 would look like, sans the GEHA.

[Stanley Nickels]

Originally Posted by Shiver Me Timbers

There are 4 or 5 or 6 other counties in the metro area that probably will welcome the stadium. Let the market decide.

“Let the market decide” is pretty confounded when it involves taxpayers funding a stadium.

[Shiver Me Timbers]

Originally Posted by Stanley Nickels

“Let the market decide” is pretty confounded when it involves taxpayers funding a stadium.

How do you know what would be involved (tax/ incentive wise) outside of what they are dealing with (Jackson County) right now?

A county/development district could structure it 1000 different ways without a direct tax increase to it's citizens.

I am not for public funding of this kind of thing via tax increase but am wide open to incentives.

[saphojunkie]

If you like it then you shoulda put a roof on it