Kansas announces $2 million to go to 2026 FIFA World Cup
TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly announced today the commitment made by OnGoal LLC, the parent company of Sporting Kansas City, to contribute $7 million to various economic development and community projects primarily in eastern Wyandotte County in Kansas City, Kansas. The contributions are the result of a Kansas Department of Commerce-negotiated settlement of a years-long dispute regarding payroll tax obligations resulting from a development agreement between Cerner Corp. and the Unified Government of Wyandotte County in 2010.
Cerner received $48 million in state incentives at the time in exchange for creating up to 4,500 jobs and sufficient withholding taxes to satisfy the award. That agreement, as well as another developer agreement with OnGoal that had led to the creation of the soccer complex in western Wyandotte County, were modified to remove the job metric.
As part of the developer agreement, failure to reach the withholding metric would result in the state clawing back up to $3.04 million of incentives each year. The metric was not met in 2021, and the Unified Government made a formal demand in July 2022 for the first $3.04 million payment. Kansas Department of Commerce, the Unified Government, and Cerner have been negotiating a compromise solution since that time.
“The Commerce Department places and enforces claw-back provisions in all incentive agreements so Kansas taxpayers are protected,” said Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland. “This agreement ensures sales tax dollars still are being utilized to further the state’s tourism goals and put money back into the community to have lasting impact.”
Contributions will begin as early as November 1 in the case of the Quindaro and Memorial Hall projects. All expenditures will be made by the end of 2025 at the latest.
Projects that will reveive money include:
- Willa Gill Services Center — $2,000,000
- 2026 FIFA World Cup ——–$2,000,000
- Quindaro Ruins —————-$1,000,000
- Community Projects east of I-635 ——- $1,000,000
- Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall ——$500,000
- Wyandotte County Historical Museum – $250,000
- Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame —$250,000