Voters reject stadium tax for Royals and Chiefs, leaving future in KC in question

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The future of the Royals and Chiefs in Kansas City was thrown into question Tuesday night when residents of Jackson County, Missouri, voted against a sales tax to help to pay for a new downtown ballpark and major renovations to Arrowhead Stadium.

Royals owner John Sherman and Chiefs president Mark Donovan acknowledged about two hours after polls closed that the ballot measure would fail. They were hoping to replace an existing three-eighths of a cent sales tax that has been paying for upkeep of their current stadiums with a new three-eighths of a cent tax that would have been in place for the next 40 years.

Sherman and Donovan indicated they would explore their options. Neither took questions from reporters.

The Royals, who have pledged at least $1 billion from ownership for their project, wanted to use their share of tax revenue to help fund a $2 billion-plus ballpark district, while the Super Bowl champion Chiefs — who have committed $300 million of their own money — would use their share as part of an $800 million overhaul of Arrowhead Stadium.