Chiefs might explore option of leaving Kansas City if upcoming sales tax vote doesn’t go their way

The Chiefs have been playing in Kansas City since 1963, but there seems to be at least a small chance that the team could be on the move at some point down the road if an upcoming sales tax vote doesn’t go their way. 

During a recent interview with KSHB 41 in Kansas City, Chiefs president Mark Donovan was asked what the team’s plan might be going forward if the sales tax fails, and he said a relocation would certainly be on the table. 

“I think they would have to include leaving Kansas City,” Donovan said of the team’s options if the vote fails.

On the other hand, Donovan did make it clear that the Chiefs would like to stay in the city where they’ve spent the past 61 years. “Our goal here is, we want to stay here. And we’re willing to accept a deal for the county to actually stay here,” Donovan said. 

The Chiefs recently unveiled plans for an $800 million renovation at Arrowhead Stadium that would upgrade almost everything. Not only would parking and tailgating improve, but the team would also add new video boards and better luxury amenities. The team would also add a 360-degree concourse that would allow fans to finally navigate the entire stadium when sitting in the upper deck. The team is also planning to add some new club areas in the end zone. 

The Chiefs are planning to foot $300 million of the renovation bill, but the rest would come from the extension of a three-eighth of a cent sales tax that will be voted on in Jackson County on April 2. The sales tax is already in place through 2031 and if voters approve the extension, the tax would stay in place until 2064. 

If the tax extension gets approved, the Chiefs have said they would sign a 25-year lease at Arrowhead, which would include a team option for three five-year extensions. The current lease expires in 2031, so even if the extension gets voted down, the Chiefs wouldn’t be going anywhere for another seven years, but it certainly would create some drama in Kansas City. 

Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt has already said the team definitely WON’T be signing a new lease if the tax isn’t extended. 

“We would not be willing to sign a lease for another 25 years without the financing to properly renovate and reimagine the stadium,” Clark Hunt said in late February. “So the financing puzzle is very important to us to make sure we have enough funds to do everything we’ve outlined.”

There are politicians in Missouri who think both the Chiefs and Royals would actually leave if the sales tax isn’t extended (The Royals, who have a lease at their stadium that runs through 2030, would use the sales tax extension to help pay for a new stadium). 

“I think we’re in grave danger of losing one or both teams,” Jackson County Legislator Manny Abarca said recently, via KansasCity.com.

The Chiefs are coming off their third Super Bowl win in five years, so they’ve built up plenty of goodwill with fans that could help get the extension voted through, but voters have also shown that they’re tired of footing the bill for stadiums in situations like this, so it will be interesting to see what happens in Jackson County on April 2.