Chiefs, assessment system may head to ballot in Jackson County
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Jackson County lawmakers have two big issues they want on the November ballot. On Monday, a narrow majority sidestepped the usual legislative process in an attempt to make that happen. It’s a move that drew the ire of some other legislators.
The first issue is the possibility of a 3/8-cent sales tax for 40 years to entice the Chiefs to stay in the county. The second is a change to the county charter that would make the director of assessment an elected position.
County legislators aren’t voting on the changes themselves, but before they go to voters, the legislature needs to pass the ordinances that allow them to go on the ballot. Both were initially assigned to a finance committee, where they sat for weeks, passed over for discussion. No longer. Monday, champions of bringing the two items to voters made a motion to force them out of the committee and bring them to the full legislature. They secured the five votes needed.
One legislator voting no issued dire warnings about loss of trust in the process.
“The issue is that none of us want to take the time to sit down and have a conversation. The issue is performative politics is what is poisoning this courthouse,” said legislator Jalen Anderson. “We can’t get anything reasonably done, because it’s always a fight.”
He noted that the legislature has yet to have a conversation with the Chiefs organization or spell out a lease agreement. To put a tax on the ballot before that, he said, is premature.
Legislator Manny Abarca, the sponsor of both ordinances countered that his intention behind moving them out of committee is to force a conversation. He claimed the hold-up was an intentional move by the committee chair, Megan Marshall.
“These are literally rules written to get around obstruction, and that’s what we’re dealing with right now,” Abarca said. “This is the bidding of the county executive.”
Marshall declined a request to comment on his accusation.
Legislator Sean Smith, who is running for a seat in Congress, made the first motion to get the assessor measure moved out of committee. His take was less accusatory but equally committed regarding the need to push the process forward on both issues.
“Since it has been held in committee for a few weeks, and there hasn’t been much movement, it seemed like, in this case, it was appropriate to pull it out of the committee, as we did, and put it to the legislature as a whole,” Smith said.
SALES TAX FOR CHIEFS
Voters rejected a similar tax measure this spring, but that involved funding for both the Chiefs and the Royals. It also included the contentious prospect of moving the Royals stadium into downtown Kansas City.
Kansas lawmakers have since presented a financial package that has the Chiefs taking notice. Leadership said the team is weighing its options.
County Executive Frank White has expressed repeated concern about whether a tax to fund a stadium is fiscally responsible. His most recent remarks came after outgoing Missouri Governor Mike Parson came to town to talk incentives with local leaders.
“I made it clear to Governor Parson, as I have to the public before, during, and after the recent stadium sales tax campaign, that before I can support any new proposal, it must offer clear and significant benefits to the taxpayers of Jackson County,” White wrote. “Additionally, the financial burden of supporting these teams must be equitably shared among all parties.”
The ordinance calling for the tax measure to be placed on the November ballot does not indicate if it is for a new stadium or renovations, only that it would be a capital improvement sales tax “for the purpose of retaining the Kansas City Chiefs.”
ELECTED ASSESSOR
White faced much criticism for the assessment process under assessment director Gail McCann Beatty in both 2019 and 2023. KCTV5 reported frequently on each, exposing flaws in the process.
White hired her. He refused calls to fire her. Making it an elected position requires a public vote to change the county charter. The assessor is an elected position in every Missouri County except Jackson County.
NEXT STEPS
Both ordinances will now come before the full legislature next Monday. They could also vote as early as then. Abarca and Smith indicated they need to vote in the next two weeks to safely get the measures on the ballot in time.
The three legislators who voted against bringing the ordinances out of committee were Anderson, Charlie Franklin Megan Marshall, who is the committee chair and the vice-chair of the legislature. Voting in favor were Abarca, Smith, Donna Peyton, Vanessa Huskey and DaRon McGee. Legislature chair Jeannie Lauer was absent.
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