Tag: STAR Bonds
Sports authority bill features passionate testimony on both sides in legislative hearing
A bill to authorize a sports authority to own the new home of the Kansas City Chiefs in Wyandotte County…
“Our elected officials seem to be working harder representing the Chiefs than their taxpayers”
Leaders in Wyandotte County and Olathe easily approved using sales tax revenue to contribute to the financing package to relocate…
Lt. Governor Toland won’t assure Kansans they won’t see tax increases from Chiefs stadium deal
Lt. Governor David Toland, who in his dual role as state Commerce Secretary was the architect of the STAR Bonds…
$2 billion for the Chiefs moving to Kansas; property tax relief remains elusive
Ending months of speculation about their future home once their lease expires at Arrowhead Stadium, the four-time Super Bowl Champion…
Kansas Commerce Dept: approve projects, then learn if they’re viable
When the Colby City Council met to discuss a new STAR bond project on Oct. 7, 2025, they had to…
Park City STAR Bond project hits snag
In April of 2025, the Wichita Eagle reported the roughly $500 million “Champtown” development in Park City was “full speed…
Kansas to call timeout with clock ticking on STAR Bond deadline as Chiefs request extension to continue negotiation
Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson has called a meeting of the state’s Legislative Coordinating Council (LCC) for July 7th to…
AUDIT: STAR Bonds program continues record of failure
Three years ago the Kansas Department of Legislative Post Audit evaluated the STAR Bonds program overseen by the Kansas Department…
“Scoop and Score” makes false claim, won’t substantiate rosy economic impact of bringing the Chiefs to Kansas
Much like quarterbacks use the “silent count” in noisy situations near vocal opponents, the organizers of “Scoop and Score” working…
Critics throw flag on billion dollar scheme to lure Chiefs across border
“The rich tradition and history of the Chiefs are beloved across the entire Kansas City region and throughout Kansas. The…
EPC Group demands $11 million more taxpayer money for its project by Wichita baseball stadium
Wichita city leaders are considering a(nother) sweetheart deal that would transfer even more taxpayer money to EPC Real Estate Group…
Kelly administration wants $15 million to bail out failed incentive program
The Kelly administration is asking for approximately $15 million a year to prop up an incentive program that has shown…
Eagle: Wichita park privatization largely a giveaway to developers
Privatizing Wichita’s parks system has largely resulted in giveaways to developers and other private interests rather than Wichita’s residents, according…
Records requests show Commerce Department failing to oversee STAR Bonds
A series of records requests by the Americans For Prosperity Foundation asking for information about STAR Bonds in Kansas shows…
City, Wind Surge hit customers with undisclosed tax & fee
Wichita city leaders are up in arms after the Wichita Eagle reported the owners of the Wind Surge — the…
Commerce can’t – or won’t – substantiate “jobs created” claim
In late November of last year, the Kansas Department of Commerce announced that there had been $2 billion in new…
Framework for Growth: more of what failed to produce growth
With Kansas in its fifth straight decade of economic stagnation, Commerce Secretary David Toland’s Framework for Growth plan looks to…
Controversial Commerce Secretary promoted to lieutenant governor
Gov. Laura Kelly tapped Commerce Secretary David Toland to serve as her lieutenant governor on Monday. Toland replaces Lt. Gov.…
KS Dept. of Revenue shrouds Derby STAR bond project in secrecy
The Sentinel has been requesting sales tax data from the Kansas Department of Revenue (KDOR) to determine the effectiveness of…
What is Kansas Department of Commerce hiding from public scrutiny?
Two requests filed by the Sentinel under the Kansas Open Record Act (KORA) with the Kansas Department of Commerce for…
Audit finds state incentives often aren’t used as intended
Less than 20 percent of funds appropriated for state economic development programs are used the way lawmakers originally intended, according…
T-Bones baseball team for sale, owes at least $550,000 to local government
One week ago the owner of the Kansas City T-Bones baseball team, Adam Elhert, announced he would sell the team…
With little oversight, Commerce approves STAR bonds for competing developments
The Kansas Department of Commerce last week preliminarily approved the use of STAR bonds to finance two Johnson County projects…
Bill would create transparency, accountability for state incentive programs
Kansas lawmakers are likely to adopt legislation that will provide a new level of accountability and transparency to some of…