Debate continues in Jackson County as April 2 stadium sales tax arrives

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Voters in Jackson County, Missouri, go to the polls next week for a crucial special election concerning the stadium sales tax vote.

At stake are billions of dollars in future taxes and the sobering possibility that, depending on the vote, the Royals and Chiefs could move somewhere else.

New Royals ownership has been intentional in its plans to leave Kauffman Stadium by the time the lease expires in 2031. They have said Kauffman Stadium is too old, too costly to renovate and suffering from what the Royals call “concrete cancer.”

“The fact of the matter is, the stadium was built 50 years ago for baseball 50 years ago and baseball today is not the same as baseball 50 years ago,” said former Kansas City mayor Sly James.

He wants people to vote “yes” for the stadium sales tax, and is working with the Royals and those who are all-in to build a new stadium downtown in the Crossroads District. But a former City Councilwoman adamantly disagrees with James.

“It’s one of the best stadiums in the country. They don’t need a new stadium,” said Becky Nace.

ALSO READ: Here are the groups endorsing the Jackson County stadium sales tax question

She is adamantly against the extension of the 3/8th cent sales tax for Kauffman and Arrowhead stadiums and wants Jackson County residents to vote “no” in next week’s special election. She said the process is moving far too fast.

“This tax question involves the lease that’s in effect until 2031,” said Nace. “There is no rush. This is being rushed on voters.”

On April 2, voters will decide on a stadium sales tax that would generate more than $1.5 billion over the next four decades. The “Show-Me-Institute” broke that figure down, which equates to $54 million in annual taxpayer money.

Individually, every year the tax would cost an average of $115 for each adult in Jackson County. If the tax question passes, the Royals would demolish a six-block area of the Crossroads to create a new stadium and the Chiefs would renovate Arrowhead.

If the stadium vote fails, no one is sure what would happen next. Chiefs president Mark Donovan recently said that if the stadium vote does not pass, the Chiefs would be forced to consider their “options”. Blake Shreck said if it comes to that, he’ll be considering the Chiefs’ options very carefully.

ALSO READ: Royals’ downtown dream creates neighborhood nightmare for several Crossroads businesses

“Should it ever get to the point where they have an option to leave the region, then really that will be when the scramble comes. But I guarantee Kansas would be aggressive in trying to keep them here,” said Schreck.

Shreck, a former CEO of the Lenexa Chamber of Commerce, has a long history with the local sports scene and has consulted as a negotiator between Missouri and Kansas, as both states have lured businesses from the other side of the state line. He said there is no active plan for Kansas to try and lure the Chiefs west, but said that would change if Jackson County voters nix the stadium tax.

“This tidal wave of great growth and development we’re riding right now and international recognition that Kansas City is experiencing would not happen without the Chiefs and the Royals,” said Schreck. “We can’t afford to lose them.”

Supporters of the stadium tax said the possibility of losing one or both teams over a failed vote is real. Sly James offered this advice to voters who are nostalgic about renovating and keeping the Royals at Kauffman.

“They have to stop thinking about the stadium for the Royals and start understanding what this vote is about,” said James. “This vote is about keeping both teams —the Chiefs and the Royals — in Jackson County, Missouri. Period. End of story.”

But that’s one side of the story. Stadium tax opponents, including Becky Nace, say a “yes” vote will be bad for the local economy.

“They are going to leave economic loss behind in the areas around where the stadium is now, and they’re demolishing a thriving community in the Crossroads in the process,” said Nace.

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