On this edition of In Focus Missouri, host Josh Robin talks to State Senator Barbara Washington on what state legislators are doing to encourage the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals to stay in Missouri. Plus, Kansas State Representative Sean Tarwater discusses what Kansas is doing to incentivize the teams to move over state lines. And, Clay County Commissioner Jerry Nolte details why keeping the teams in Kansas City is important for local businesses.
Sen. Washington discusses the legislation aimed at countering Kansas’s STAR bond. It would incentivize the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals to stay in Kansas City instead of moving to Kansas by providing tax benefits. She talks about how the stadiums would be funded and the economic benefits the state would incur with the sports teams staying in Kansas City. The Senator details the kind of revenue loss and impacts the state would face if the teams crossed state lines to Kansas. She also comments on if the sports teams themselves have any say in what their fate will be or if it’s a political decision.
Rep. Tarwater discusses what STAR bonds are and how they work to finance projects by leveraging the future revenue they are expected to generate. He shares plans the Kansas legislatures are working on to lure the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals over state lines from Missouri. Tarwater explains how most sports team members live in Kansas anyway and it makes more sense to have them set up shop there instead of in Missouri. He also emphasizes the benefits the teams and the residents would get from the move due to the extra money coming in to the state that could go towards education and local initiatives.
Commissioner Nolte talks about what the teams staying in Kansas City would do for local residents and small businesses. Nolte discusses the positive partnership local government has with the sports teams and how they aim to work together to find a solution that benefits everyone. He comments on the bipartisan legislation aimed at keeping the teams in Kansas City and how there needs to be seamless state, county, and municipality efforts in order to seal the deal. Nolte also emphasizes why the teams should stay in Kansas City, since so many local residents identify with those teams as their representatives.