White waiting to decide on Royals, Chiefs stadium ordinance
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jackson County Executive Frank White has until Thursday to support or veto an ordinance to put a stadium sales tax on the April ballot.
Jackson County legislators approved the ordinance on Jan. 8.
“The county executive will respond by the appropriate time as authorized in the county charter,” White’s spokesperson Marshanna Smith told FOX4 Tuesday.
That ordinance would designate a 3/8th-cent sales tax to both the Kansas City Royals and the Kansas City Chiefs.
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The Royals said they want to build a new ballpark downtown, but they have not specifically said where. The Chiefs said they want an upgrade at Arrowhead Stadium.
“Maybe, maybe,” Jackson County Legislator Manny Abarca said Tuesday when asked if the legislature has enough votes to override a potential White veto.
“I mean, I think it takes six of us still, right? I mean, so that 8-1 vote is not necessarily something that will transpire over to that. That depends on each individual legislator.”
Since last week’s vote, Abarca has proposed his own ordinance that would give a 3/16th-cent sales tax to just the Chiefs over the next 25 years. That ordinance, which does not give any money to the Royals, was on Tuesday’s agenda. But the meeting was canceled due to the weather.
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“They’ve been most forthcoming about their location, their plans for reinvestment, their improvements to Arrowhead,” Abarca said of the Chiefs. “I think there’s more to tell with that story, but I think that there’s genuine interest there to make that happen, and whether or not the Royals are going to be a part of that is up to them.”
The Royals and Chiefs would not comment Tuesday on either ordinance. On Jan. 8, the teams did thank both the legislature and White for their decision that day, even though White would not say whether he’d veto it.
“I’ve told this guy since day one, I’ve always wanted a downtown stadium,” Plaza Rally House manager Aaron Lewis said in an interview with FOX4 Tuesday.
Lewis was talking about his coworker Lukas Speer. Lewis said he and Speer talk about this issue often.
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“If you want to put Kansas City on the map like everyone talks about — ‘Hey come to KC. Come to Kansas City. Come do this,’ — a downtown stadium is crucial I think,” Lewis continued.
Speer said KC-metro residents need to think about what’s best for both franchises.
“At the end of the day, they’re going to have to move at some point,” he said. “I mean, why not now? Start something new, start something fresh, and make new memories there.”
Fellow Rally House worker Benjamin Jost brought up the situation surrounding the departure of the Oakland Athletics.
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“‘Are we going to change this stadium? Are we going to build a new stadium? Are we going to get a new lease for this stadium?’ Eventually nothing happened, and the team’s now moving to Vegas,” Jost said. “So that would be the worst case scenario is that we can’t figure something like this out.”
The next time the Jackson County Legislature’s scheduled to meet is Monday, giving them a day to override a veto if need to be. The legislature has a 5 p.m. Jan. 23 deadline to get this issue on the ballot for a April 2 election.
