Jackson County legislator Manny Abarca calls for Chiefs only 40-year ballot question

KANSAS CITY, Mo.- Jackson County Democratic Legislator Manny Abarca says his group could soon be voting on a 3/8-cent sales tax proposal solely for the Kansas City Chiefs, nearly four months after the voters in the county said ‘no’ to a joint proposal for the Chiefs and Royals for their stadium plans.

Abarca’s measure seemed to have hit a roadblock in the Finance and Audit Committee at the Jackson County Courthouse until Monday, when he used Rule 21 of the Jackson County Legislature to move his ordinance to the full legislature due to it not getting any action in that committee.

Abarca needed four of his colleagues to support him in that effort. He got the support of Democratic legislators Donna Peyton, Vanessa Huskey and DaRon McGee.

He also got the support of Republican Legislator Sean Smith. Getting this Chiefs only ballot initiative to move to the county legislature as a whole as opposed to the Finance and Audit Committee allows the county legislature to vote on this issue as soon as Monday, July 29.

“We made a move yesterday, several of us, the majority of us to remove the 3/8-cent sales tax legislation out to the legislature as a whole, positioning it to be taken a vote on within the next coming weeks, ideally,” Abarca said in an interview with FOX4 Monday.

The three legislators who did not support what Abarca was trying to do were Democrats Megan Marshall, Charlie Franklin and Jalen Anderson. Republican Jeanie Lauer was not present. The vote was 5-3. Marshall’s the Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee, where Abarca’s proposal had been held up.

“I think talking about two plans that do not have the input from the teams or discussing really what is the plan behind both of these actions. I think it’s fine to have conversations, I just don’t believe the wording of either one of these ordinances is in line with really… it just already answers the question, are we debating what’s in these ordinances or are we debating how we need to handle the Chiefs and the Royals?” Anderson said.

The Chiefs have not said if they’re even interested in being on the ballot again in Jackson County later this year, even if it is by themselves and without the Royals. Friday, team President Mark Donovan said they need to get something done in the next six months, not one month, to find out where they’re going to be playing in the next decade. Getting something approved for the November ballot would need to be done in just more than one month.

Abarca’s efforts come just more than a month after the Kansas Legislature approved revising Sales Tax and Revenue or STAR Bonds to try and make their state more attractive for the Chiefs if they decide they want to build a new stadium.

“The Hunts have also said that they’re looking for the best deal, right? And so, I think the opportunity has to persist that we are still negotiating, even if it’s in passive position,” Abarca said. “If you’re going to accept the opportunity for a $2 billion brand new stadium, why wouldn’t you consider a $2.4 billion new stadium over here on the Jackson County side, leaving the stadium where it is?”

Abarca’s measure that could be voted on by the full county legislature calls for a new 40-year commitment between the county and the Chiefs. Tuesday, the team wouldn’t comment on this proposal specifically. Monday though, Chiefs Chairman and CEO C l ark Hunt spoke to reporters just three days after Donovan did.

“If they wanted a brand-new stadium, that there’d be enough money surpassing the STAR Bond proposal in the state of Kansas and making us back as a competitive negotiator at the table,” Abarca continued.

Jackson County Democratic Executive Frank White’s Chief of Staff Caleb Clifford told us Tuesday that White would not be commenting on Abarca’s proposal.

Even if the legislature approves of putting this on the ballot, White still has the opportunity to veto this in the same way he did in January for the joint effort between the Chiefs and the Royals. White has ten days to veto or sign something like this after it passes.

If he vetoes it, the county legislature would have a chance to override that veto, but it would need 2/3 of the legislature, or 6 of the 9 members to support that override.

Abarca’s proposal had just five members in support of it. During the meeting, Abarca said he’d like for his proposal to pass the county legislature by Aug. 5 to plan for that veto. Aug. 27 is the final deadline to get something like this on the November ballot.

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