For years, Missouri taxpayers packed Arrowhead Stadium, helped fund its upkeep, and watched the Kansas City Chiefs grow into one of the most successful teams. Now, chairman and CEO,  Clark Hunt, has confirmed the Chiefs will leave Jackson County for a $3 billion domed stadium in Kansas. That decision leaves Arrowhead with two stark options: spend millions just to maintain it. Or tear it down, a move Missouri House Speaker Jon Patterson says could cost up to $150 million.

“We had one of the components, the county executive, really working against the process and doing things that had nothing to do with keeping the teams,” Patterson said on Radio 95.7FM & 710 AM. “And he was talking about a community benefits agreement, if you recall. Well, now there will be an empty stadium, five thousand jobs gone, overtime for police gone. And now the county will be on the hook for either twenty million dollars of maintenance or one hundred and fifty million dollars to demolish the stadium.”

The bill tied to demolishing Arrowhead hasn’t passed yet. But it naturally raises a question: how did Jackson County end up here in the first place?

Back in 2006, Jackson County voters approved a 3/8-cent sales tax to finance a major share of renovations at Arrowhead Stadium and Kauffman Stadium. That vote helped fund roughly $425 million in improvements. And in return, it tied the Chiefs and Kansas City Royals to the Truman Sports Complex through the 2031 season.

Fast forward to 2024, and that long-standing arrangement began to unravel. With the existing tax nearing its end, Jackson County voters were asked to extend the 3/8-cent sales tax. The extension would have funded further renovations at Arrowhead. And it’d have helped finance a new downtown stadium for the Royals.

Voters rejected it.

Question 1, which would have replaced the existing tax with one lasting through 2064, failed by a decisive margin. We’re talking about 58% voting “no,” compared to 42% “yes.” The result means the stadium tax will expire in 2031, when both teams’ leases run out. And the funds can only be used for the existing Truman Sports Complex. The argument, though, was simple.

Organizations like KC Tenants, Stand Up KC, and small business groups contended that public money should not be used to subsidize privately owned franchises. “We feel so encouraged that more and more people are realizing poor and working class folks don’t have to subsidize a billionaire’s private profits,” said KC Tenants organizer Magda Werkmeister.

After a couple of months, Kansas moved into position.

Kansas lawmakers introduced legislation designed to lure the Chiefs or the Royals across the state line. The proposal would allow the issuance of STAR bonds to cover up to 75% of stadium projects costing at least $1 billion. It was a far more aggressive offer than what Missouri voters had just rejected. Under the plan, repayment would not come from general income taxes.

Instead, the bonds would be paid off using sales taxes generated near the stadium, alcohol sales within the district, lottery revenue, and sports gambling funds. The repayment window was set at 30 years.

As a result, the Chiefs are set to leave Missouri for their new stadium, scheduled to open for the start of the 2031 NFL season.

For Missouri taxpayers, the outcome cuts both ways. On one hand, they will no longer be on the hook for stadium taxes after 2031. On the other hand, the state stands to lose the economic ecosystem tied to Chiefs’ home games. Think of sales tax revenue, stadium-related jobs, and visitor spending that once stayed in Missouri. Kansas officials, meanwhile, project more than 20,000 construction-related jobs tied to the stadium and surrounding development.

That leaves Arrowhead Stadium in limbo. Lawmakers can either spend roughly $20 million to maintain it. Or demolish it at a projected cost of $150 million, as Patterson outlined.

But in response, Missouri State Sen. Rick Brattin (R–Cass County) has proposed a bill aimed squarely at the Chiefs’ departure. His legislation would require any professional sports franchise that leaves a publicly funded stadium to pay 1% of the demolition cost for every year it played there.

“This is not about punishing success. It is about honoring responsibility. It is about making sure that taxpayer loyalty is not treated as disposable and that public investment is respected, not taken for granted,” he said. “Missouri kept its word. Missouri acted in good faith. Missouri showed up when it mattered. If a franchise chooses to walk away from that loyalty, it should not walk away from the consequences. Missouri deserves better, and I intend to make sure this never happens again.”

Given that the Chiefs have played at Arrowhead since 1972 and their lease expires in 2031, the team would be responsible for at least 58% of the demolition cost if the bill becomes law. Whether it passes remains uncertain. What is clear, however, is that Missouri lawmakers are frustrated.  Governor Mike Kehoe has publicly described the move as a setback, saying the state was still in active discussions with the Chiefs about a renovated or rebuilt Arrowhead as recently as last week.

And yes, the Chiefs’ exit from Jackson County is now firmly set in motion.

A look at the Chiefs’ plan to move to a new stadium

For the first time since 1972, the Chiefs will leave Arrowhead Stadium after the 2030 season. The move became official after a council of Kansas lawmakers unanimously approved the use of sales tax and revenue (STAR) bonds to cover up to 70% of the cost of a new stadium and a surrounding mixed-use district. Under the legislation, an estimated $2.4 billion in bonds will be repaid using sales and liquor tax revenue generated within a designated area around the project.

“We made a decision as a family that this was the right opportunity and the best for the organization for several reasons,” Clark Hunt said. “It’s about the fans. My dad [Lamar Hunt, who founded the franchise] was always about the fans and thinking about the future. This will give Chiefs Kingdom a state-of-the-art facility for multiple generations, a building that can last for at least 50 or 60 years.

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“The location of Chiefs games will change,” Hunt added following the vote, “but some things won’t change. Our fans will still be the loudest in the NFL, our games will still be the best place in the world to tailgate, and our players and coaches will be ready to compete for championships.”

While the exact site has not been finalized, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly confirmed the stadium will be located in Wyandotte County. State officials have indicated the preferred area sits near the Kansas Speedway and The Legends retail district, an established sports corridor that already includes Children’s Mercy Park and Legends Field. Chiefs president Mark Donovan said the venue will seat at least 65,000 fans. It’ll be roughly 10,000 fewer than Arrowhead. That reduction aligns with a league-wide shift toward fewer seats paired with more premium amenities and revenue-generating spaces. The plan also includes a new $300 million training facility in Olathe, Kansas.

That said, the Chiefs still have several seasons left at Arrowhead. The stadium is also scheduled to host multiple World Cup matches this summer, even as its long-term future fades.