Kansas Attempts to Lure NFL’s Chiefs Across Missouri State Lines

(Bloomberg) — Top Kansas lawmakers are making a play for the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs to cross state lines and move their home from Missouri to the neighboring state instead.

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State Senate President Ty Masterson and House Speaker Dan Hawkins said the possibility of the back-to-back Super Bowl champions moving to Kansas deserves a “conversation.” In April, voters in a Missouri county rejected a tax measure that would have funded renovations to the Chiefs’ home stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.

The legislators released a statement on Tuesday saying that they reached out to Chiefs owner and Chief Executive Officer Clark Hunt to gauge his interest in using a state bonding program. The Chiefs are “open” to the conversation, the statement from the lawmakers said.

States and municipalities sometimes compete using public dollars to lure professional sports teams, betting that the stadium projects will elicit economic development. Teams can use that threat to their advantage: Chiefs officials said earlier this year they could leave their longtime home at Arrowhead Stadium if they couldn’t secure public financing for the renovations. The current lease expires in 2031.

Representatives for the Chiefs didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment outside of normal business hours.

Kansas municipalities can sell sales tax and revenue bonds – referred to as STAR bonds — to finance the development of commercial and entertainment developments. The bonds are paid off through sales tax revenue generated by the project.

The legislature is convening for a special session on June 18.

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