Councilman concerned both Chiefs and Royals will leave Kansas City
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — There’s a growing concern from some Kansas City leaders on the future homes for both the Royals and the Chiefs.
Councilmember Kevin O’Neill caught the attention of people in Kansas City on Wednesday with a post on X, formerly Twitter.
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“I am hearing that Royals are about to start entertaining offers from other municipalities. Is Clay a legitimate site, absolutely. Is Kansas trying to get them to the Legends in Wyandotte County, you bet they are. Many people think Royals are leaving Jackson County. Shame that we might lose Royals,” he wrote.
“I hear now that Chiefs are also upset with Jackson County and might look at other sites. How did we get here? This should have been a no brainer. Heartbroken if either franchise leaves.”
Neither the Royals nor the Chiefs are commenting on O’Neill’s remarks.
O’Neill also wouldn’t speak to FOX4 on camera Thursday. One city council member who would, though, was Johnathan Duncan.
“Making impactful changes into the most vulnerable members of our community’s lives, by making sure that people have roofs over their heads, is much more important than the debacle going on across the street regarding the Royals,” Duncan said Thursday regarding the county’s negotiations with the team.
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Jackson County owns the stadiums that the Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City Royals play in at the Truman Sports Complex, not the city.
“I wouldn’t say a debacle. It hasn’t been as well organized as I would like to see,” Jackson County Legislator Sean Smith said in an interview with FOX4 Thursday. “We have to let Frank do his job, and he has to communicate with us so that we feel comfortable with what he’s doing.”
Smith also said the city benefits financially from both teams playing in their city limits.
“I don’t think there’s anything inhibiting the city from being involved,” he continued.
“If they want to step up and say, ‘This is what financially the city is willing to do,’ then we can have a more multifaceted partnership and a better opportunity to kind of spread the wealth so to speak or spread the cost, whichever you want to call it.”
Duncan said his goal is to keep both the Chiefs and the Royals in the city, but he wants to make sure the people benefit.
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“I’m looking forward for some adults to do some negotiating,” Duncan said when asked if he’s frustrated that things seem to be held up inside the Jackson County Courthouse, across the street from City Hall.
Democratic County Executive Frank White wouldn’t comment either.
“We want to figure out a way to keep both teams in Jackson County and do it within the available resources that we’ve got from a county to allocate,” Jackson County Administrator Troy Schulte said in an interview with FOX4 Monday.
“We’ll get it done. It’s just going to take some time and energy.”
Schulte said the deadline to get something on the ballot for all Jackson County residents to vote on is about Jan. 20 — if the countywide vote would be in April 2024.
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“They pay rent, but it flows back into that RMMO fund, which allows for ongoing stadium operations, and maintenance, and repair,” Schulte said Monday when asked if the teams pay rent to the county.
The leases for both teams end in January 2031 out at the Truman Sports Complex, but the Royals are looking to be in a new stadium by Opening Day 2028.
