Lt. Gov. David Toland, who led the state's negotiations with the Kansas City Chiefs, stands with Gov. Laura Kelly to comment on the team's historic move to Kansas during an event in Topeka on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025. The event announced the franchise will depart Arrowhead Stadium for a new $3 billion domed facility in Kansas City, Kansas, scheduled to open for the 2031 season Tammy Ljungblad tljungblad@kcstar.com
The mayors of Kansas City, Kansas and Olathe may soon get to vote on the public-private authority that will own and supervise construction of the Kansas City Chiefs’ incoming, $3 billion stadium in Wyandotte County and accompanying facilities in Johnson County.
The Kansas House on Tuesday passed an amendment to the new stadium authority bill that gives both mayors, Christal Watson of KCK and John Bacon of Olathe, voting privileges in future decisions made about the stadium project.
This comes as a shift from original legislation, which classified the mayors as non-voting members of the authority. But local requests for an amendment passed and gave the two a seat at the table.
The board will now include 11 members: the mayors, legislators, the commerce secretary, appointees and a voting-member representing the Chiefs.
Despite questions regarding the Chiefs’ ability to vote on its own publicly financed stadium, an amendment to make the Chiefs representative a non-voting member failed in committee last week.
The legislation the House approved may go to the Kansas Senate for consideration later this week.
KCK calls vote green flag for future talks
Watson took office a week before officials unveiled plans for the nearly $4 billion plan that includes the KCK stadium, a training facility and team headquarters in Olathe and surrounding entertainment districts.
She said the House’s vote was an indicator of progress the communities and state have made with each other throughout negotiations.
“I think that the board is going to be so much more effective, because any board is effective when it includes perspective from the closest entities impacted,” Watson told The Star on Wednesday.
And, it shows that state leaders and the team don’t just want Wyandotte County for its land and tax revenues — but rather, they see the value in working closely with community leaders, Watson said.
Their willingness to work closely with Wyandotte County means that local leaders will be positioned to make sure any future community benefits agreements, or other promises made to the city, are drafted with a full understanding of what residents want to see come out of the deal, Watson said.
Residents during previous public meetings and in interviews with The Star have said they want to see the project economically benefit all of Wyandotte County and create jobs and opportunities locally.
“Our position is defined by our value, not just our voice,” she said.
Voting power
The Olathe City Council unanimously voted to approve allocating local sales tax dollars from a 165-acre site on the northwest corner of College Boulevard and Ridgeview Road to help finance the team’s new facilities in Kansas last month.
Mayor John Bacon said in a statement that he is excited to work alongside KCK and the state on the Sports Authority.
“The Authority has significant responsibilities, and including elected leaders ensures residents have a voice in overseeing this historic investment,” Bacon said in a statement. “We’re excited about the opportunity for Olathe and proud to work alongside the Chiefs, the State of Kansas, and Wyandotte County to move these projects forward in a way that benefits our communities today and in the future.”
The mayors working and casting votes alongside the Chiefs will be a change from how the Sports Authority functioned in Missouri. In Jackson County, a five-member Sports Complex Authority controlled the team’s lease at Arrowhead Stadium and did not give voting power to the Chiefs.
While the Chiefs are just one of an 11-member body, representatives from the team will have the ability to vote on major decisions related to the construction and operation of the stadium.
Critics have said the decision to give the NFL team voting power would give the team an unusual amount of sway over a project fueled by taxpayer money.
Local, state dollars pay for project
Both municipalities have promised to dedicate future sales tax dollars to help pay off the $2.8 billion sales tax and revenue (STAR) bonds used to build out the stadium project. How else the project will be paid off hinges on a yet-to-be decided state bond district.
KCK voted to direct up to $450 million in projected local sales tax revenues and a portion of transient guest tax revenues generated on 236 acres on the city’s west side.
In Olathe, the Johnson County city pledged the local sales taxes generated from the 165-acre property — referred to as a “Base Revenue Area” — for up to 30 years. Additionally, Olathe is set to pledge 7% of the 9% percent transient guest tax the city charges for hotels, motels or guest stays located within the “Base Revenue Area.”
Although the bond district map that the state initially pitched showed that it would divert state sales taxes spanning a large portion of Johnson and all of Wyandotte counties, the Kansas Department of Commerce has not unveiled how large that bond district would actually be.
The state doesn’t have to finalize the bond district’s size until October.
If the district were to span all of Wyandotte County, that would divert any new state sales tax dollars to paying for the stadium. It would also keep Wyandotte County from being able to apply for any additional STAR bond projects for up to 30 years.
The Unified Government Board of Commissioners, when they voted to allocate future local sales tax revenues to the project, added a stipulation that they want to vote on any future changes the state makes to the KCK bond district.
And although that stipulation was passed as an added protection for the county, Watson said she was told early on in negotiations that the state’s district would include the stadium and ancillary services surrounding it, and she’s optimistic it’ll reflect that.
Ultimately, the city is concerned with protecting taxpayers and working together to get community benefits from the deal in a way that’s transparent.
While Olathe didn’t include specific stipulations that mirror KCK’s, its ordinance states that the city’s pledge to contribute sales tax dollars is contingent on the headquarters and practice facility being built no later than Dec. 31, 2030.
Matthew Kelly contributed to the reporting of this story.