As suitors line up, local legislator proposes two bills to keep Chiefs in Jackson County

JACKSON COUNTY, Mo. (KCTV) - While Kansas is trying to lure the Chiefs and Royals across the state line, a local lawmaker is working to keep one of them in Kansas City. Jackson County legislator Manny Abarca has submitted two bills to keep the Chiefs at home. The bills make no mention of the Royals.

One of the proposals is a 40-year extension of the existing 3/8 cents sales tax, but proceeds would only go to the Chiefs. The other is a 30-year, 3/16th cents sales tax for a new Chiefs stadium that would go into effect when the current tax expires in 2031.

As suitors line up to try to attract the teams to a new home, Abarca said this move is all about making sure the Chiefs remain in Jackson County.

“Realistically, waiting any longer, waiting for a cool-down period, that’s not feasible in this market,” Abarca said. “We need to jump back to the table and say, ‘We’re here. We’re ready. We want to make sure the Chiefs stay in Kansas City.’”

This past Saturday, Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said the team will pursue its own stadium project. Abarca took that to heart.

“Once Clark Hunt made his statement Saturday, it became evidently clear that this was a signal,” Abarca said. “We heard Kansas come out and they are actively pursuing. We need to be at that table, too. This is going to send a clear message to the Chiefs: ‘We’re ready.’ Let’s get back to the ballot and see where the voters are going to send them.”

READ MORE: Jackson Co. voters could see Chiefs-only stadium tax on November ballot

While Abarca is trying to get his proposals on November’s ballot, he will face challenges.

Wednesday night, County Executive Frank White released a statement that said in part, “The law is explicit: no proposal for a parks sales tax can be resubmitted to voters within 12 months of its previous rejection. This statute is designed to respect the voter’s decision and ensure responsible governance, but it seems to be ignored.”

READ MORE: Stadium architect shares renderings hoping to bring Chiefs to KCK

Abarca doesn’t think his proposals are a resubmission of the same question to the voters.

“There is a lot of difference from what was proposed in April and what we will propose in November, so ultimately the Secretary of State may determine that it’s the same intent, but even that, if we’re doing a 3/8 cents sales tax for a brand new stadium for the Chiefs, that’s very different from what we were talking about in April,” Abarca said.

The bills will soon begin the process of getting approval from department heads. Abarca thinks they will likely appear on the Jackson County agenda on May 9.

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