The Chiefs and Royals faced a major loss in their own city when Jackson County, Missouri residents rejected a sales tax proposal aimed at contributing toward financing a new downtown ballpark as well as significant upgrades to Arrowhead Stadium. After endorsing a ‘yes’ on the vote, the Kansas City mayor made a statement, indicating what’s next in this precarious situation.
The tax faced considerable public resistance almost immediately. The teams encountered challenges in presenting definitive plans to the voters and were criticized for a perceived lack of transparency during the entire process.
The next plan of action for the Chiefs could be to try again with a reworked plan more agreeable to voters, as Mayor Quinton suggests, or change their entire funding approach to include more private investment. They might entertain proposals from rival cities and states, like neighboring Kansas, which could offer the desired public funding.
