Kansas blame game begins over delayed stadium deadline
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Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Republican, told Axios on Wednesday he's standing by his claim that the state administration stalled for months on stadium talks and that Kansas City Chiefs representatives told him so directly.
Why it matters: Commerce Department officials — overseen by Democratic Lt. Gov. David Toland — denied Hawkins' claim and cited "countless meetings" with the Chiefs and the Kansas City Royals.
- The political tension illustrates the billion-dollar stakes behind whether Kansas or Missouri will be the future home of the teams.
- Stadium standoffs are nothing new. But in Kansas City, the fight has become a border battle between states.
Driving the news: Hawkins led a motion Monday at a Legislative Coordinating Council meeting to extend a June 30, 2025, stadium financing deadline to December and said it came after hearing that the state was slow to communicate.
- Hawkins told Axios this week that the Chiefs reported waiting up to three months to hear back from the state on deliberations.
Chiefs president Mark Donovan sent a letter to council members four days before the deadline asking for more time, and it was later posted on X.
- "We have had no response to our last proposal from the administration for six weeks, though we recognize the many demands of State leadership and remain optimistic about where advanced discussion could lead," the letter states.
- The team did not respond to Axios' request for comment this week.
What they're saying: "One of the teams went from November to February without ever getting a response from the administration, from the Department of Commerce," Hawkins said at Monday's meeting.
- "That's not fair to the teams when they're making proposals and they're not getting responses back," he added.
The other side: The Commerce Department said that wasn't the case.
- "It is categorically false to suggest there was a three-month delayed response," Patrick Lowry, a Commerce Department spokesperson, tells Axios.
- "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."
- Axios has requested records of Commerce Department communications with team representatives.
Catch up quick: Kansas' financing bill has been on the table for a year, and if it lands either team by helping pay for a new stadium, it would be the largest project ever financed by the state's tax and revenue (STAR) bonds, ponying up 70% of a new stadium's construction costs.
- Missouri's incentives package to keep both teams in the state, covering up to 50% of stadium construction costs, was passed in June.
Context: While Royals owners have committed to moving from Kauffman Stadium at the end of their lease in 2031, the Chiefs have floated either moving or renovating Arrowhead.
"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," a Royals spokesperson told Axios in a statement.
- The Royals pitched a downtown site in 2024, but Jackson County voters rejected funding the new build. Since then, comments by Royals owner John Sherman suggest he is considering jumping states.
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