Kansas committee wants stadium deal done by end of the year

Yahoo

14 hours ago

TOPEKA, Kan. – The Chiefs and Royals will get another year to consider a deal with Kansas using Sales Tax and Revenue or STAR Bonds if they cross the state line.
Legislators do not want that process to go beyond this calendar year.
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Monday's unanimous vote of the eight-member Legislative Coordinating Council (LCC) was to be expected, although Republican House Speaker Dan Hawkins was critical of Democrat, Gov. Laura Kelly and Lt. Gov. David Toland.
During the meeting, Hawkins said that previously, he's been of the opinion that extending the STAR Bond offer was not a good idea. But on Monday he said sometimes you don't know everything.
'Sometimes you find out things that really kind of take you back,' Hawkins said. 'For instance, when you find out that one of the teams went from November to February without ever getting a response from the administration, from the Department of Commerce.'
Department of Commerce Director of Marketing and Communications Patrick Lowry expressed disdain for Hawkins comments.
'This is categorically false. Communication and negotiations between the Commerce Department and both the Chiefs and Royals have been ongoing since the legislature approved the STAR Bonds statute to include stadiums for professional teams. During the period from November 2024 to February 2025, there have been countless meetings with both teams to discuss numerous deal points as part of making proposals and counterproposals,' Lowry said.
After the meeting, State Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes said she's had five updates either through the Commerce Department or from individuals. Sykes, a Democrat, said she believed Hawkins' statement was political.
'I think they're having conversations, Whether or not the teams are liking what they're getting as the offers and as they're negotiating. I mean these are businessman that we are talking to, so they're looking at the best interests for themselves,' Sykes said to reporters after meeting.
The Royals sent out a statement following Monday's decision:
'We are again grateful to Chairman Masterson and the members of the Legislative Coordinating Council for the dedicated time and energy they have put forth. We also appreciate their recognition of the diligent work that goes forward on multiple fronts in this complex process.'
'Our focused discussions continue as we seek the best option for the future generational home of the Kansas City Royals. The extension of the Kansas STAR Bond legislation enables us to continue our pursuit of the right choice for our fans, our organization and our regional community.'
The Chiefs also released a statement:
'We are grateful to the Kansas Legislative Coordinating Council for extending the dates of the STAR Bond legislation. We continue to have fruitful conversations with community leaders and public officials, and this legislation allows us to further evaluate our potential options for a stadium in Kansas. As we have said from the beginning, the Chiefs are committed to making the best long-term decision for our fans, our franchise, and all of Chiefs Kingdom.'
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Republican State Senate President Ty Masterson said a similar statement Monday that he told to our John Holt on Friday, June 27.
He believed Gov. Kelly's administration was more interested in getting the Royals than the Chiefs while everyone else has the opposite priority. Masterson said if Kansas can get both teams though, that'd be great.
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