Missouri lawmakers are finally back at work and they have a revenge on their minds.

How can they punish the chiefs for moving to a shiny new stadium in Kansas?

Plus, could the deal still be undone?

And why are the Royals still so silent?

Those stories and the rest of the week's most impactful, confusing and downright head scratching local news stories straight ahead.

Week in review is made possible through the generous support of Dave and Jamie Cummings.

Bob and Marlese Gourley, the Courtney S Turner Charitable Trust, John H. Mize, and Bank of America a co trustees.

The Francis Family Foundation through the discretionary fund of David and Janice Francis.

And by viewers like you.

Thank you.

Hello and welcome.

I'm Nick Haines.

Is it too late to say Happy New Year?

Or has the statute of limitations run out on that greeting?

Fortunately, still well within their expiration date on this week's guests from KCUR News Lisa Rodriguez is with us, former star reporter Dave Helling from our metro's newest newspaper, Next page KC Eric Wesson and tracking the region's top political stories for KCUR news Brian Ellison.

Well, Missouri lawmakers headed back to Jefferson City this weekend.

They had revenge on their minds.

Some legislatures are itching to punish the chiefs for ghosting Missouri and announcing a shiny new stadium in Kansas.

One bill would force the team to pay for all the costs of demolishing Arrowhead.

But wait, there's more.

State Senator Nick Schroeder wants to impose a $50 surcharge on every Chiefs ticket, and a 5% surcharge on every sale made at Arrowhead.

To try to recoup some of the losses.

The state's going to feel financially when the Chiefs do leave Missouri.

Brian, I have seen the biblical quote vengeance is mine, saith the Lord.

But do Missouri lawmakers also have that power?

Or is this talk of revenge just idle chatter?

Nick, I love it when you quote scripture.

Okay.

Thank you.

The I think it's probably not going to go anywhere.

The suggestion I heard this week from House Speaker John Patterson said, we need to govern, not out of sort of emotional response, but out of what's going to be best for the entire state.

I think the the more likely outcome is that this will be an opportunity for some folks to vent their frustrations.

I don't see those things becoming actual.

Now.

Other lawmakers are actually having their fingers crossed this week.

Still hoping that deal falls apart.

My keyhole, by the way, says he'll continue negotiating with the Chiefs until the moving trucks arrive at Arrowhead.

Well, nothing's ever over.

As you know, there's a lot of pieces to work through this deal.

There's real estate acquisitions.

I don't close many doors.

You guys know that.

I'm not a bridge burner.

And I'm always willing to listen and, find a way if, it becomes available to resurrect the conversation.

Dave Helling, is that just wishful thinking, or is it plausible that the Kansas deal could still fall through?

Well, it's legally possible.

The documents clearly indicate there are several off ramps.

If needed for the team, particularly if certain, guide posts are not met by a certain time.

But, the nature of the announcement, the difficulty in putting the package together, the lack of a need for a public vote, in Kansas, all of those, circumstances combined to make it highly unlikely in my mind any way that the Chiefs would go back on, on this agreement.

But they're.

Just too.

Complicated.

But.

But why?

The county still has to sign off on this whole deal.

You doesn't have to.

Doesn't have to.

Wyandotte County can join, in the Star Bond district, but the state can set up a district on its own and just use state revenues.

And so Wyandotte County has a role, but it's not essential at this point.

So the new mayor of Wyandotte County that you proclaimed as the hero of last year in our urine review show, she can't pull a Frank white on this one and put up all these obstacles in the way to block this.

Well, my my last conversation with her, she does have a few options and some things haven't been explained to her the way that she has a clear understanding because it puts her in an awkward position because, the the mayor that was there, Garner he was never engaged in the conversation when they were putting the deal together, what, two years ago?

And then she gets a phone call and says, hey, come to the beaker.

She's got to figure out how to manage the new police officers that are going to be needed in that area.

The street repairs and other things that have to be done without raising taxes.

And if she has to go to the voters there and ask them to raise taxes, she's going to be a one term mayor because none of those people are going for.

That, Lisa.

And I think it puts Wyandotte County in a really interesting position because they, their citizens have been calling for these basic services from the government.

Wyandotte County has had a cash strapped budget for a very long time.

They don't have room to grow, and they're committed to keeping property taxes low.

Residents don't want their property taxes up.

So they're in this interesting between a rock and a hard place.

If they raise a local sales tax, as some have have proposed to generate more revenue for basic government services, that would potentially be redirected to pay for a Chiefs stadium as well, and not actually go back to local government for those services quickly.

A couple of clarifications.

The county's not only wanted county, but Johnson County has decisions to make to about its increment, and the cities involved in that district Olathe, Lenexa and Shawnee are all being approached to set aside some of their sales tax revenue for this huge and I do mean huge 300 square mile, district that has been at least tentatively drawn.

One of the things that Wyandotte County wants to think about, I think, is ticket preference.

You know, in Jackson County, you have a ticket preference because of your support.

Maybe Wyandotte County could ask for that.

But I have a hard time seeing politically.

Nick, how Crystal Watson or anybody on the Wyandotte County Commission could realistically ask its residents to pay for a stadium when basic services are such a challenge.

When we talk about basic services, they don't even have a homeless shelter.

People in Kansas City, Kansas, a Wind County come to Kansas City, you got a $3 billion football stadium, an entertainment district, and no place for your homeless people.

Which is actually gets to a question that I have and so many of our viewers who are puzzled about what the big win is for Wyandotte County in this deal.

On her family.

Walk on the.

Kansas.

Already the new mayor of Wyandotte County may be enthusiastic there, but the new stadium would be publicly owned.

So the Chiefs won't be paying property taxes, and any increase in sales tax revenue has to be used to pay off the costs of building the stadium.

So how do they win then, Brian?

Well, I think the question is, what do you value?

You know, and this is always the decision about public financing for stadiums.

It's a decision that involves the Royals conversation as well.

What is it worth to a community to have a professional sports team?

Some of it is pride.

Some of it is a sense of community identity.

Some of it is the excitement that comes from contending for a Super Bowl.

How much is that worth and how does it compare to basic human needs, like having a homeless shelter in your community?

And I think the question is one that, the elected officials and the voters ultimately have to decide, but it's about more than dollar signs.

Now, many of our viewers want to know what happens now to Arrowhead Stadium.

Will it be demolished?

And who pays?

Well, it probably will ultimately be demolished because it still has to have maintenance and upkeep.

I know, Mayor Lucas was saying keep it for entertainment district or entertainment area for, you know, Taylor Swift for Beyonce to come and perform it.

But I don't think that that's going to be feasible to do.

But we're talking about $150 million to demolish it.

According to some reports this week, that seems like a hefty price tag on Jackson County would be responsible for that.

Jackson County would be on the hook to pay for for demolition at this point.

And we have to remember, Arrowhead Stadium will still be the site of the World Cup.

It's still the place where the Chiefs are going to play for for the next several years.

And so there is the investment into Arrowhead Stadium hasn't yet stopped from the city.

We're going to invest to make it to make it World Cup ready.

And that's an extraordinarily important point.

When you ask Brian about what the state legislature might do, because I think the next four bills are all for show and headlines, not reality.

But the state of Missouri provides $3 million a year now for maintenance at the Truman Sports Complex.

That is going to stick out like a sore thumb in Jefferson City this year, after the Chiefs have, in essence, told the state to take a hike and cutting that or reducing that amount of money is certainly on the table.

Kansas City sent $2 million to the Truman Sports Complex, the city of Kansas City.

They may want to take another look at how much they now spend to provide for maintenance at the Truman Sports Complex.

The teams are going to really be mad about that because they'll say, hey, look, we've got an existing lease.

You have to fulfill the lease, and the city and the state may well say, go ahead and sue us.

You're leaving.

Can you go to Arrowhead Stadium?

You might find a lot more bathrooms out of order, perhaps a few less concession stands.

Well, and that's.

And that is the question about this idea that it's becoming an event venue.

Right.

Are you actually going to maintain the facility necessary to have a Taylor Swift concert in the four month period between events?

You know, to be profitable, the T-Mobile center has to have something like 300 events a year.

I don't see that happening.

I know, I know, but Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas is convinced there's still life for our ahead, even without the Chiefs.

We still do have active bids for the Women's World Cup and World Cup rugby 2031 and 2033 using Arrowhead Stadium, by the way, as the location for both.

Beyond that, the mayor says Arrowhead will compete for concerts and other events, with the new Chief Stadium in Kansas and smaller venues like T-Mobile center and the new Morton Amphitheater.

That's sustainable beyond much of 2031, though.

When the Chiefs leave Lisa.

It's hard to see how sustainable that may be.

If we get every World Cup that he's proposed on there and every big concert even then, is that enough to pay for the maintenance of such a large facility?

Perhaps you don't have to do anything with it because I was looking at stories about the Houston Astrodome that has been empty now for 20 years.

No, no professional team in there.

And it's still there.

And it's still there.

But I think their structure is a little bit different than ours.

But if you go back to think of when Municipal Stadium was there, it was decades before they actually started the housing development in that area.

And so I don't know what they do with it, but I know it's going to be a sore for a while.

Kansas City at one time had Kemper Arena, municipal auditorium and the T-Mobile center, three indoor arenas and only one of them being used basically.

I mean municipal every once in a while.

And camper, they've tried for years to figure out what to do with that.

So this is not a unique problem.

One of the problems at Arrowhead quickly neck is how you could compete for big concerts at Arrowhead when there is a stadium across the state line with a roof, and so you can offer the protection of a roof for artists and others.

Arrowhead 50 years old.

No roof.

That's a hard sell.

Be $0.50 less a ticket.

Taylor Swift The Taylor Swift concerts went just fine at Arrowhead.

I. I propose there be a Taylor Swift experience, kind of a permanent resident concert at Arrowhead, similar to like, Celine Dion in Las Vegas.

I don't think that's likely.

But you get two planes flying over Arrowhead.

You have that open air experience that I'd.

I just don't see an indoor stadium being able to replace the fireworks, all of that.

All right.

Well, given that the Chiefs made their shock announcement on the week of Christmas, I was half expecting the Royals to interrupt our New Year's celebrations with a big announcement of their own.

But remarkably, they're silent about their plans.

But not Kansas leaders who say the Royals have now blown it, and a deal to use Star Bonds for a new Royals ballpark expired at the stroke of midnight New Year's Eve.

We put an end to it on December 31st, I was.

Believe me, I was not kidding when I said that already.

That was the House speaker in Kansas.

Does that mean Kansas is now officially off the table or just that funding mechanism?

De well.

The, there is reporting that there might be an alternative if they still want to go to Kansas.

It's hard to see what that alternative is.

It's also possible that star bonds might still be involved no matter what Dan Hawkins says.

If you can cut a deal with the governor and other Republican leaders, although he is a definitely a roadblock if they want to proceed, here's what to keep.

One thing to keep in mind if the Royals are definitely off the table in Kansas, the Star Bar District, which has been set up for the Chiefs Stadium, can now be expanded, to the rest of Johnson County.

You can't have overlapping star bond districts for two stadiums, but if you just have one now, you can capture all that revenue from Leawood and Overland Park and all the east from Johnson County, properties, let alone Johnson County itself.

That may be part of what's involved with Hawkins and others as they try to put this package together.

What was remarkable to me, by the way, when it came to that Chiefs deal and you were looking at all of those star bond districts and so on, is that, I hope, secret?

All of that was and it said all they said, which is going to have the headquarters and the training facility had been working for two years, secretly, secretly with the Chiefs.

I was thinking, boy, that meant that the all of that took place prior to the fail stadium vote in 2024.

So couldn't it be conceivable that the Chiefs, even if that deal had passed, that voters said yes, that they would have moved to Kansas anyway?

I don't think they really negotiated in good faith if they were even negotiating at all.

Can I play bass bass with that?

Okay, yeah.

Let me push back just quickly.

It was well known the Chiefs wanted to move their practice facility irrespective of what happened to Arrowhead.

And they had been talking with communities all over both sides of the state lines about moving that long before the stadium, proposal hit the table when Missouri, in its package said the practice facility has to be in Missouri if you're going to get help for the stadium.

That may have forced the Chiefs hand to go to Kansas.

We haven't lays it in yet on the Royals.

And we talked about if Kansas is off the table.

We're also realizing this week that perhaps Clay County is off the table.

One of the top Clay County commissioners this week saying they're through.

Also, they're done negotiating with the royals, which leaves it with Kansas City and House Speaker John Patterson this week saying to what makes the downtown site attractive in Kansas City is it would not require a public vote.

Why is it that we had to have a vote before in 2024 for a Royals ball talk that would have been in Kansas City, and now you wouldn't require one two years later?

Well, this is something I've been saying all along, Nick.

I the Royals have always had the option on the table of pursuing tax increment financing or other sort of incentive deals that can be made by organizations in Kansas City that do not require public votes.

I'm thinking specifically of port KC, which has been in the news, because of its, possible extending of incentives to the owners of the Plaza, most recently.

But they also were involved in the riverfront development.

Port KC has the authority to do that.

It's a state created institution that has that authority.

Now, is it wise?

That's a different question.

If you go to Costco, target or Price Chopper.

Lisa, the number one question from viewers is, Nick, where is the other royals going?

Actually moving Kansas City.

And you are now here to reveal to us in this brand spanking new year.

That site is where Lisa.

I'm not so foolish to give you a direct answer to that question, but certainly the mayor has been really pushing this Washington Square Park location right next.

To Crown Center and right.

Next to Palm Center and Union Station.

All those organizations came out over over the holidays, indicating their support for such a move, asking welcoming the royals downtown.

And it appears with the way things have happened in Kansas and comments from elected officials in Clay County as well, that they feel frustrated with the royals done negotiating with the royals.

So that location is looking more and more likely.

It's it's easier for the city in a number of ways because the city owns the land.

You don't have to move any businesses there.

And as Brian was saying, city officials and state officials can can move forward with this without a public vote and not even worry about Jackson County as a whole.

Limit it just to.

Kansas and know many shows you've been saying that Cata citing the 18th and find the bus area there that that was a potential site.

Is that still in the possibility range at this point.

I believe is still there.

I think, Allie gates is still talking to Mister Sherman, John Sherman about, you know, coming down on the 18th and vine district area, on Troost and coming all the way over.

But right now, after losing the Chiefs, possibly some other things, I think the Royals can put a stadium any place in Kansas City they want.

I think they just call where they want to put it and they'll make that happen.

News is, of course, they have no idea where they want to go.

And here we are still two years after the vote and one other.

But not.

Where they want.

But we'll see.

But but at least we have a deadline.

Because didn't the man himself say this week, I think we're going to wrap this up by spring training, which is in the latter part of, you know, how.

Many deadlines there was all this spring.

Oh, later in the summer, after the season, and just quickly is still the East Village is there.

At least it's still 2031 if it doesn't require a public vote.

This why we say no public vote.

Kansas City has a robust initiative and petition process, and if the stadium side upsets enough people, yeah, you can see folks gathering signatures to put it on the ballot anyway.

And that is another hurdle for the mayor and others to try.

All right.

Now, believe it or not, there were actually some other stories making the news that had nothing to do with the stadiums this week.

Let's start in Kansas, where Republican leaders have announced they will not join the parade of states redrawing that congressional map.

House Speaker Dan Hawkins remember him?

Well, he says he simply doesn't have the votes to pass a new map over the all but certain veto of Democratic Governor Laura Kelly.

Is Sharice Davids now breaking open a bottle of champagne to celebrate?

Brian, I assume she already did that when I made that very prediction on our yes, I remember this, but but no, I don't think she.

I think champagne is a little premature, but I bet she is breaking open the bottles of water to hand out to her campaign supporters, because I think it is time for her to begin, her reelection effort.

And I think she's going to be feeling very good about that.

You know, the other big story over the state of Missouri, and certainly revenge was on the minds of the Missouri lawmakers as they came back this week.

But the other one, of course, was governor Mike Kehoe, now making it clear his number one priority for this new session, eliminating all state income taxes.

Be our top legislative priority.

We will push very hard with House and Senate leadership, and we think any time Missourians can keep more of their money, it's a good day for them already.

Lisa.

That would be a massive shake up.

Where would the money come from to make up for all that lost revenue?

I that's a great question.

And House Speaker John Patterson this week, even though.

He's in the show more than.

Anybody.

Right.

How many times are we going to name drop him?

He said there are other mechanisms to generate revenue.

He wasn't specific about what they are, but it is an interesting time to introduce such legislation.

After the state treasurer's office said, we're not bringing in the revenue that that we expected.

We actually need to reduce and shrink the budget.

And so I think we will see budget cuts.

But certainly the governor has the support of leadership in the House and the Senate.

So it is likely that a proposal will pass.

And I think that will attract the kinds of new development businesses coming into the state and other individuals.

I think that they are hoping that that's the case.

I'm not sure that's the case, but but, you know, I think there's a really important difference that a lot of Republican leaders are saying that other states have done this, that really nine states have done it.

Nine states don't have a state income tax, but that's not the same thing as having one.

And then and having it occupy this huge part of your budget and then doing away with it.

In fact, that hasn't happened in any of those nine states except one Alaska, which of course has oil and gas revenues, in a very different economic situation than our state.

I think we have to see where it's going to come from, as you said, sales taxes, property taxes, all of those are going to hit portions of the Missouri, so income sectors differently than in income taxes.

Just briefly, the, focus on income taxes for Mike Kehoe will make property tax reform more difficult if you try to get rid of income taxes and property taxes or personal property taxes, which some legislators want to do, you really do punch a hole in public budgets around the state.

And so I think the property tax reform will have to take a backseat.

And also, quickly, people in Kansas City and Saint Louis should start thinking about the earnings tax of 1%, which provides about, what, $200 million?

A little more than that now in Kansas City, it's considered essential.

That's on the ballot.

But it's been the target of conservative Republicans for a long time.

And if they're going to get rid of the state income tax, you can see a scenario where they would add the earnings tax to that.

And I by the way, they're losing some of their biggest earners, all these Chiefs players and these massive coaches.

Right.

And that's a huge payroll.

And by the way a new year brings another round of complaints about what's happening on the Country Club Plaza, with plans for a row of high rise towers currently on pause, the plaza's new owners are floating.

Another idea privatizing the shopping district sidewalks.

They say it'll allow them to make faster repairs and add amenities like art and benches.

But critics aren't buying it.

They say it's about banning protesters, panhandlers and street musicians from the shopping district.

Is that why City Planning Commission this week pushed back and complained that this plan is far too vague?

I think it may be in part why they pushed it back.

They said it's too vague.

They need more details on on a justification for for turning over the sidewalks and it seems like a small thing.

Oh, who controls the sidewalks?

But ceding public property to private ownership is always a big deal for city governments.

And and exactly what you mentioned in your question, that does give the owners of the plaza power to just to decide who gets to be on those sidewalks and what they're doing on those sidewalks.

So there is an element of freedom of movement, freedom of speech, right?

I mean, I think there is, there's already a high level of frustration with, the development of the plaza over the last couple of years, the sense that businesses have closed, but new ones haven't reopened.

If they're looking to build public support, adopting a controversial privatization of the sidewalks probably isn't the way to do it, rather than the now traditional big story miss segment this week, we thought we'd end the show by tracking the story we should be paying most attention to in Kansas City.

In this new year called 2026, it's going to be a big year.

We're putting on the biggest event in Kansas City history, but there are so many other things going on in KC.

In 2026, the streetcar line expands again, this time north to within steps of CP KC Stadium.

Kansas City's concert venues face a big rival in June, as the new 16,000 seat modern amphitheater opens in Riverside.

Guns N Roses and Rod Stewart already booked the Rock Island Bridge finally opens.

We think the metro's first toll road opens in just a matter of weeks.

The 69 expressway in Overland Park will charge drivers from $0.30 to $1.75, depending on the length of the trip and time of day.

It's a big boost day for one of Kansas City's most famous landmarks.

Liberty Memorial turns 100 in November.

It's a make or break election year that will decide who runs Congress, but the ballot, closer to home, is just as busy.

In August, Kansas voters will weigh in on whether to directly elect Supreme Court justices.

In November, Missouri voters will decide whether to re-impose abortion restrictions, throw in a Kansas governor's race and a US Senate contest, and suddenly just another election year goes from ho hum to Blockbuster and Kansas City waits on the ultimate cliffhanger.

Is Travis Kelce calling it a career?

Oh, gearing up one more run.

Okay, which one of those stories did you pick?

Or something completely differently?

So I think I think the World Cup is is the biggest story happening in Kansas City in 2026, how it goes, how we deal with the influx of potentially tens, hundreds of thousands of visitors here, and whether we can turn that into any lasting change.

But I don't want this show to go by without a mention of, friends, family, loved ones of Rene Good, who was killed by, an immigration agent in Minneapolis this week who had, reportedly recently moved to Minneapolis from Kansas City.

Brian, I think the big election, the big story this year will be elections.

And Kansas, as you mentioned, the Supreme Court in Missouri votes on taking away the abortion rights that voters just approved two years ago, votes on reforming the way initiative petitions are considered in the state, possibly this vote on redistricting and all of the the hullabaloo about whether that will even be on the ballot.

There's a lot of issues coming up in this election that are about how democracy works in Missouri and Kansas.

And I think this is a very big story this year.

Eric.

I said, to kind of piggyback with Brian, what's going to happen with the 50th district congressional race, but 71 highway, there's been community input.

They've been drawing up plans on what to do with 771 highway.

And I think that's going to be a big story for the city.

And also, Anita Dixon died this past weekend.

She was an advocate for jazz and music in Kansas City, the Mutual Musicians Foundation, a blue room and bringing music back in the high school.

She's going to be sorely missed.

Dave, are two things.

Dave Helling has a new Substack, you can call it Kansas City Stack.

I invite our listeners and viewers to check that out.

The other thing is, I think quietly, you're hearing whispers about the problems with transit in Kansas City and what the Chiefs Stadium might mean for the push to establish a corridor east to west in Kansas and Missouri so that people could take fixed rail out to the, stadium when and if it opens.

And I think there'll be some focus on that in 2026.

And on that, we will say our week has been reviewed courtesy of Casey.

As Lisa Rodriguez and Eric Wesson from next page Casey.

Casey was Brian Allison and Kansas City news icon Dave Helling, and I'm Nick Haines from all of us here at Kansas City PBS.

The well, keep calm and carry on.