Kansas City taxpayers don't want to pay for renovations to the Chiefs' Arrowhead Stadium and construction of a new ballpark. On Tuesday, they expressed it at the ballot box.
58% of Jackson County voters voted against a tax that would have helped finance the projects. Clark Hunt acknowledged the failure of the vote to the Associated Press.
Concretely, the Kansas City Chiefs have a lease that runs until the end of the 2030 season. So there is still time to find solutions.
Their idea was to launch renovations starting in 2026, for an amount of 800 million dollars.
Funding blackmail, the great classic of US sport
Of the $800 million, $300 was to come from the Hunt family and private funds. The idea was to finance the remaining 500 million by tax.
The audience said “ No. » So as is often the case, the franchises concerned move on to threats. For now, it's veiled and polite.
“ We are deeply disappointed because we still believe Jackson County is better with the Chiefs and Royals” said John Sherman, the owner of the Kansas City Royals, the baseball team that was trying to get a new stadium.
On the side of Mark Donovan, president of the Chiefs, we explain that we want to do “what is in the best interest of the fans and the franchise. »
Not just a money problem
In this case, it is not just a question of tax. The Royals' stadium plans, including the exact location of the new enclosure, have encountered much opposition locally.
“ I think the problem is the location of the stadium. We don't want businesses established here for years to be ruined.“explains a voter to the Associated Press.
The Chiefs don't have this problem, since it's a renovation. Separating their destiny from that of the Royals could therefore be a solution.
Another possibility: finance the renovation directly, or with private partners. Clark Hunt's fortune is estimated at $2 billion, and he certainly has no shortage of potential wealthy partners. But entrepreneurship is always better with other people's money.
