The Kansas City Chiefs are repeat Super Bowl winners with aspirations of repeating next season and maintaining their status as the newest dynasty of the NFL. However, even bigger questions now remain about whether or not that success will happen in Kansas City.
With the team in an ongoing political battle over funding to make upgrades to their stadium, there is a lot of focus on a looming sales tax vote that the community will decide on. While the Chiefs have called Kansas City home since 1963, the organization is now hinting it’s willing to change that if things don’t go their way.
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During an interview with KSHB 41, Chiefs’ team president Mark Donovan Acknolweded that voters in Jackson County, Missouri ruling against the Chiefs regarding an upcoming sales-tax increase might lead to the franchise exploring relocation.
“I think they would have to include leaving Kansas City. But our goal here is, we want to stay here. And we’re willing to accept a deal for the county to actually stay here.”
Kansas City Chiefs president Mark Donovan on if team relocation is possible if sales tax rejected by voters
The proposal on the April 2 ballot asks voters to extend a 3/8-cent increase on the sales tax through 2063. If approved, residents would pay about 38 cents more for every $100 spent within the county, which would amount to roughly $2 billion in added revenue over the next 40 years.
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However, according to Bloomberg, recent polling by the Remington Research Group found that 47 percent would vote yes on the measure and 46 percent would vote against it. The polling comes after Chiefs’ players Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes publicly urged fans to vote in favor of the sales-tax increase.
Under the current stadium renovation plan, the Hunt family would contribute just $300 million to a project that is expected to cost at least $800 million. Of note, the Hunt family has an estimated net worth of $24.8 billion as of 2024, per Forbes.
With it coming down to the wire on the sales-tax increase, it will only be a matter of time before the Chiefs might be forced to make a decision. For now, though, it appears many residents are willing to call the team’s bluff on relocation.
