Rep. Deaton talks incentives as governor weighs Chiefs/Royals special session

Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe is expected to call a special legislative session to discuss incentives aimed at keeping the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals in Missouri.

This comes as the state of Kansas has proposed STAR Bonds that could cover up to 70% of stadium costs, with the offer set to expire at the end of June.

Seneca-area Representative Dirk Deaton told the KZRG Morning Newswatch that Missouri’s proposed package would allow state-generated taxes from teams (sales, income, and arts/entertainers tax) to be used for bond payments covering up to half the cost of a publicly owned stadium, with a 30-year term and penalties if teams leave early.

“The governor’s office rolled out a proposal that they believe, my understanding if passed a package that would potentially allow for those teams to stay here in Missouri,” said Deaton.

The proposal includes protections to avoid past mistakes, such as the Edward Jones Dome situation where the state paid bonds long after the team left.

“Maybe there’s people that say, hey, we just, you know, maybe roads are okay for publicly owned infrastructure. We should just never own a stadium. We should just never do this. If they want to be here, fine. If not, fine. If that’s your position, then certainly understand that,” added Deaton. “But, they do generate some economic activity. So there’s people like the governor and others that say, hey, we need to try to do something if it makes sense, if the economics makes sense, to try to keep them here if we can.”