Potential for Clay County stadium gets boost from Missouri House bill

Yahoo

16-05-2025

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe's proposal to help fund a new Kansas City Royals stadium was shelved by lawmakers, Clay County finds itself on an even playing field with Jackson County in pursuit of a future professional sports stadium.
Clay County now has the right to create its own sports authority, where a county sales tax could fund a new stadium, which is similar to what Jackson County already has, according to language passed by the Missouri House on Thursday.
However, the county would still likely need state funding to build an all-new stadium.
'We're going to need some help from the state, and, to be honest, if the state doesn't pony up some funds, I don't think they will stay in the State of Missouri,' said Clay County Commissioner Jason Withington.
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Records state that 'any county with more than two hundred thirty thousand but fewer than two hundred sixty thousand inhabitants' is now authorized to create a county sports complex authority.
The most recent United States Census in 2020 shows that Clay County has a population of 253,335. While the Census website shows that in 2024, the county had an estimated 263,370 residents, the next official Census isn't until 2030.
Back in April, FOX4 spoke with Missouri Senator Maggie Nurrenbern, who said North Kansas City is a prime location for a potential Kansas City Royals stadium.
'I have not had direct conversations with the Royals on this very issue,' she said, following a poll where Clay County residents were asked how they felt about a 40-year, half-cent sales tax for a ballpark.
'But I do have an understanding that they're very serious about this spot. I think it's really come down to if we're going to do a stadium in Missouri. This is, I think, the top spot right now.'
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That language passed by the Missouri House on Thursday reads:
'The general assembly may annually appropriate up to three million dollars from the state general revenue fund to the convention and sports complex fund created pursuant to this subsection, provided that the county or authority has entered into a contract or lease with a professional sports team affiliated with or franchised by the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, the 80 National Hockey League, or the American League or the National League of Major League Baseball on or after January 1, 2026.'
House Bill 189 goes on to say:
'No appropriation of state moneys shall be made pursuant to this subsection until the county which has created a convention and sports complex fund has commenced paying into the convention and sports complex fund amounts at a rate sufficient for the county to contribute the sum of three million dollars per calendar year. Appropriations made pursuant to this subsection to any convention and sports complex fund shall not exceed the amounts contributed by the county to the fund. The county's proportional amount specified in this subdivision may come from any source.'
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Clay County would likely ask voters for a sales tax for the funding, similar to that which was rejected by Jackson County voters in 2024.
While this doesn't necessarily give Clay County a leg up in the ongoing battle for new sports complexes in Missouri and Kansas, it does even the playing field in terms of Clay and Jackson Counties.
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