Lt. Governor David Toland, who in his dual role as state Commerce Secretary was the architect of the STAR Bonds deal bringing the Chiefs to Kansas, refused to rule out a future tax increase as a result of the arrangement.
In an interview with Fox 4 in Kansas City, Toland said the deal answered questions about the Chiefs’ future:
“The Chiefs are coming to Kansas, and they’re coming to Kansas with a stadium that will open in 2031”, Toland flatly stated to reporter Malik Jackson.
After discussing the national notoriety for Kansas and the potential Super Bowls and Final Fours that would be awarded to the new domed stadium in Wyandotte County, Toland addressed concerns about costs associated with infrastructure upgrades and public safety improvements, as well as potential tax increases to pay for them:
“What you’ve got to look at is both sides of the ledger,” the lieutenant governor began.
“You’ve got costs and new revenues that come in, and what our studies show very clearly is that more revenues come with this project than costs. This is a net win — a net positive for Kansas.”
When Jackson pressed on whether Kansans’ concerns about potential tax increases from the stadium deal are valid, Toland stiff-armed:
“What I’m saying is that this is a net positive for Kansas.”
“It is a massive win for our state economically to have the Chiefs,” he said. “It’s a massive win for our domestic and global image as a place to do business and as a place that’s on the map. And at a time when our country is divided, this is an example of Republicans and Democrats in Kansas coming together to do big things,” Toland said.
Toland indicated the state expects to gain site control very soon, potentially within days or weeks, and remains confident that the financial modeling and planning will continue to come together as the project moves forward.
