Governor of Missouri Mike Parson made clear Thursday that he has no immediate plans to call lawmakers into a special session this year to respond to Kansas’ attempt to lure the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals across state lines.
But Parson, a Republican who is stepping down after this year, told reporters that next year will be “critical” to keeping the teams in Missouri.
“Not that I know of,” Parson said when asked if he was considering a special session. “But again, we’ll be having some conversations here in the very near future with a lot of people in the Kansas City area…I think everyone understands that we have to put something together in order to compete.”
The Republican governor, a loyal Chiefs fan with a tattoo honoring the team, made his comments in his Capitol office in front of both Lombardi Trophies from the Chiefs’ recent Super Bowl victories. The trophies were in Jefferson City on Thursday as part of a celebration at the Missouri Capitol.
But the team’s future in the state loomed over the holiday. Kansas lawmakers this month adopted an aggressive plan to potentially strip the Chiefs and Royals of more than $1 billion in bonds. Gov. Laura Kelly signed the bill into law this week.
Missouri lawmakers, who ended their annual session last month, have not rushed to respond directly to Kansas. However, at least one top lawmaker told The Star that lawmakers could consider calling a special session after the August primary.
Parson made it clear Thursday that a special session likely won’t happen anytime soon. But he also emphasized the urgency of coming up with a plan to respond to Kansas.
“Probably the next year is critical – so, I think, how you put a plan together and how you can finance that plan,” he said. “But the reality is you can’t let month after month pass by doing nothing, while your competitor is out there doing something all the time.”
The Republican governor said his office has spoken with representatives from both teams. He acknowledged that the state would have to spend “some money to keep them,” but offered no details (including whether the state would have to offer a bonding plan similar to Kansas).
“I think by the end of this year we’ll have something where we can say where we’re going and hopefully we can say what I think the state should do,” he said.
Kansas’ attempt to attract the teams comes after Jackson County voters in April rejected a stadium tax that would have effectively guaranteed the teams would remain in Missouri after their 25-year leases expire in January 2031.
The Kansas plan, critics say, may have reignited a years-long economic border war between the two states. But Parson rejected that argument Thursday, following efforts by both states to limit the conflict over the teams’ future.
“I don’t really consider it a border war,” he said. “All I’m telling you is that we’ll do everything we can to make sure they stay.”
