Missouri governor to visit Kansas City for discussions on retaining Chiefs, Royals
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - As the state of Kansas continues its push to lure two of Kansas City’s professional franchises across the state line, Missouri leadership looks to be putting forward an effort to keep them in the Show-Me State.
Missouri Governor Mike Parson announced that on Monday he will hold meetings in Kansas City with Mayor Quinton Lucas and other community leaders from Clay and Jackson counties.
Their objective: “to discuss options to keep the Chiefs and Royals in Missouri.”
Missouri’s renewed efforts come after Kansas approved a plan last week that would finance up to 75 percent of the cost of new stadiums for the professional football and baseball teams.
“We’re going to make sure that we put the best business deal we can on the line,” Parson told reporters while hosting the Chiefs’ two most recent Super Bowl trophies at the Capitol, where fans lined up for photos.
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly signed a STAR Bonds bill that had been the center of attention surrounding talks of the Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City Royals exploring future stadium sites.
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Jackson County, Missouri, voters rejected a 3/8-cent sales tax proposal that would have gone toward funding a downtown ballpark for the Royals and renovation of Arrowhead Stadium.
In late April, Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said the organization is reassessing its options for the future, whether that be at Arrowhead Stadium or building a new venue.
The Chiefs and Royals have played for over 50 years in side-by-side stadiums built in eastern Kansas City, drawing fans from both states in the split metropolitan area. Their stadium leases run until 2031. But Royals owner John Sherman has said the team won’t play at Kauffman Stadium beyond the 2030 season, expressing preference for a new downtown stadium.
Mayor Quinton Lucas’ office shared a statement Friday afternoon saying Lucas “shares the Governor’s view on the importance of retaining the Chiefs and the Royals in our community.”
“The Mayor appreciates the collaboration with Governor Parson as productive discussions with the franchises continue,” a spokesperson for Lucas said.
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