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

[Katipan]

Originally Posted by POND_OF_RED

They legally can’t make the stadium the same because of how steep the upper deck is. It’s grandfathered in, but any new stadium being built can’t have that sharp of an incline so it’s not as simple as just adding ADA seating to the top and bottom of the sections.

That has nothing to do with the really great post about "handicapped" people being the reason why.

[Brody Wa]

I would be more concerned about the Chiefs leaving Kansas City… than them leaving Kansas City Kansas or Kansas City Missouri. You still get to see home games. I’m not sure I would still be interested in seeing them play in a different area.

[JohnnyHammersticks]

As an outsider looking into this situation, am I justified in saying that Frank White and Quinton Lucas have been failures of epic proportions during the entire negotiation process and have both screwed Kansas City Missouri beyond belief? Because that's sure what it looks like from my perspective.

What in the hell happened to Frank White? I used to really like that guy when I was a kid.

[Mecca]

Originally Posted by JohnnyHammersticks

As an outsider looking into this situation, am I justified in saying that Frank White and Quinton Lucas have been failures of epic proportions during the entire negotiation process and have both screwed Kansas City Missouri beyond belief? Because that's sure what it looks like from my perspective.

What in the hell happened to Frank White? I used to really like that guy when I was a kid.

It didn't pass because it was a terrible effort, it wasn't well put together, they double spoke repeatedly. The Chiefs looked like they didn't give a ****, The Royals looked like they were unprepared and they asked for money when people are broke.

All those things together sank it.

[JohnnyHammersticks]

Originally Posted by Mecca

It didn't pass because it was a terrible effort, it wasn't well put together, they double spoke repeatedly. The Chiefs looked like they didn't give a ****, The Royals looked like they were unprepared and they asked for money when people are broke.

All those things together sank it.

Got it, thanks. So people aren't really blaming White and/or Lucas, the blame is mostly falling on the Royals and Chiefs ownership?

[Mecca]

Originally Posted by JohnnyHammersticks

Got it, thanks. So people aren't really blaming White and/or Lucas, the blame is mostly falling on the Royals and Chiefs ownership?

I don't think it would have passed even if they had been great politicians, they're an easy scapegoat for the Royals leading a plan that they ****ed up.

[TribalElder]

Originally Posted by JohnnyHammersticks

What in the hell happened to Frank White? I used to really like that guy when I was a kid.

Frank White should be in Jail for the fraudulent property tax disaster in Jackson County



This whole thing went to shit when the Royals tried to move into the crossroads and bundled that disaster with the Chiefs stadium improvement vote.

[Marcellus]

Originally Posted by TribalElder

Kansas: weed is evil, lets arrest the chiefs players for having some
https://www.kshb.com/news/crime/cour...st-2-chiefs-ol

Kansas: we love the Chiefs, move to Kansas


**** Kansas

Yea well Kansas has sports betting unlike Missouri so.......

[TribalElder]

Originally Posted by Marcellus

Yea well Kansas has sports betting unlike Missouri so.......

Players can't bet

but they sure can smoke

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by Mecca

It didn't pass because it was a terrible effort, it wasn't well put together, they double spoke repeatedly. The Chiefs looked like they didn't give a ****, The Royals looked like they were unprepared and they asked for money when people are broke.

All those things together sank it.

I still don't really understand that perspective. They asked to keep the money flowing like it had been for the past 50+ years, not changing the arrangement.

[Mecca]

Originally Posted by DaFace

I still don't really understand that perspective. They asked to keep the money flowing like it had been for the past 50+ years, not changing the arrangement.

Sure but you know that isn't how people see it they see "oh the teams want money!"

[Pauly D]

Missouri needs to match Kansas with a bells and whistles proposal.

They can't do what the Chiefs proposed in the Jackson County vote of a barebones stadium surrounded by empty lots in Raytown. They need an alternative site like NKC or West Bottoms. KCMO's biggest asset is it's Downtown and the growth of the street car. If they play TSC v Legends they're going to lose badly.

[DanT]

Originally Posted by JohnnyHammersticks

Got it, thanks. So people aren't really blaming White and/or Lucas, the blame is mostly falling on the Royals and Chiefs ownership?

There was a vote by the people. White and Lucas didn't kill the deal. The deal wasn't appealing to enough voters.

[ghak99]

Originally Posted by DaFace

I still don't really understand that perspective. They asked to keep the money flowing like it had been for the past 50+ years, not changing the arrangement.

.... directly after the property tax cluster ****. This can't be overlooked. People who are not sports fans, said **** you. Many of them would have probably stayed home if that mess didn't exist.

[DanT]

Originally Posted by DaFace

I still don't really understand that perspective. They asked to keep the money flowing like it had been for the past 50+ years, not changing the arrangement.

The vote had to do with repealing a 3/8th percent sales tax that was approved in 2006 and was set to expire in 2031 and replace it with a 3/8th percent sales tax that would expire in 2064.

https://www.kmbc.com/article/kansas-...oyals/60333876

In other words, the voters decided that the sales tax they have had for 18 or so years can go ahead and last the 7 years it was scheduled to last. The voters didn't want to have that tax go another 40 years in order to get the deal they were proposed.