Residents in Jackson County, Mo., voted against an extension of a sales tax measure that would have helped fund a new ballpark for the Kansas City Royals and provide renovations to Arrowhead Stadium for the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Polls in Missouri’s General Municipal Election closed Tuesday night with 58% of residents voting against the extension of the tax. The existing three-eighths of a cent capital sales tax is set to expire in 2031, the same year that the Royals’ and Chiefs’ leases expire at Truman Sports Complex. The tax has been used to maintain the sports complex.
Had the voters approved the extension of the tax, it would have replaced the current tax measure with a park sales tax, also worth three-eighths of one percent, running until 2064, according to KMBC News.
Royals’ owner John Sherman and Chiefs president Mark Donovan acknowledged they thought the vote would fail. Sherman told ESPN that “we’re deeply disappointed as we are steadfast in our belief that Jackson County is better with the Chiefs and the Royals.”
The Royals have played at Kauffman Stadium since 1973, and the stadium last underwent renovations from 2009-2012. Sarah Tourville, the Royals’ executive vice president, wanted the team to be in a new ballpark for the 2028 season.
The reigning Super Bowl champion Chiefs planned a four-year, $800 million renovation of the 52-year-old Arrowhead Stadium, which was last renovated from 2007-2010, but it was contingent on Jackson County voting yes to the sales tax extension to secure $500 million in funding. The Hunt family, which owns the Chiefs, would have contributed $300 million to the renovation project.