By Kellie Houx
KHoux@cherryroad.com
CLAY COUNTY — Gov. Mike Kehoe signed House Bill 199 Friday evening, July 11 at Chappell’s Restaurant & Sports Museum, 323 Armour Road, in North Kansas City.
The restaurant is just a few blocks away from one of the proposed sites for the Kansas City Royals to relocate operations.
The signing cements the steps for the creation of a sports authority, with the structure of the sports authority modeled after Jackson County’s, said Sen. Maggie Nurrenbern, who represents a large portion of Clay County.
Nurrenbern and Clay County Presiding Commissioner Jerry Nolte as well as Sen. Kurtis Gregory, who represents a sliver of Clay County, pushed hard for the step in the house and the senate. Nolte and Nurrenbern testified earlier in the year together.
“It will make a lot of difference to move forward in possibly bringing the Royals to the county,” said Nolte, at the bill signing.
The bill sponsor Rep. Bill Falkner thanked the bipartisan support.
Nurrenbern said it was awesome to come together as elected officials.
“This bill represents the best of us,” she said. “We had a common goal and this is proof of what we can accomplish.”
Nurrenbern also praised the local and county elected officials. She also commended the ability of senators and representatives for working across the aisle.
“Ths is about future opportunities,” she said. “We got this done. We have very high hopes to keep our Chiefs and Royals in Missouri.”
Sen. Kurtis Gregory, who represents northern Clay County, said he heard constituents express their concerns about the sports teams leaving Missouri when he was on the campaign trail.
“Establishing the sports commission is one piece and eventually we will put the 500 or 1,000 pieces of that puzzle together,” he said.
Kehoe said the combined efforts of HB 199 as well as the work of the special session to make that offer to keep the Royals and Chiefs in Missouri is significant.
“I am talking to the owners of both teams,” he said. “We have the puzzle pieces in place, and should the Royals come to this side of the river, there are elected leaders who will want this to happen. They put partisan politics aside,” he said.
In a previous interview, Nolte said the plans for the sports authority were a tangible expression that the collective state effort is to keep these sports teams in Missouri.
Nurrenbern said the selection of commissioners for the sports authority would include local control with state oversight. The local County Commission submits a panel of names to the Governor to select followed by Senate confirmation.
“The Chiefs and Royals provide over a billion dollars in economic activity in Kansas City and support thousands of jobs,” she said, in a previous interview. “No one wants a multi-million-dollar business to take its investments and jobs to another state. If a major sports team is interested in bringing their money and jobs to Clay County, we need to be ready to work with them. This legislation will protect taxpayers while positioning our county to take advantage of a once-in-a-generation opportunity for economic development.”
Kehoe said he expects no matter where the sports teams will be, there will need to be local investment.
