Missouri Gov. Mike Parson voiced frustration with indecision by the Kansas City Royals over its future and says the team must decide on a path forward by January if it expects the state to help.
The Republican governor, in so many words, exhorted the team to get its act together in a radio interview last week.
The comments come as the team has been exploring Washington Square Park and other downtown stadium sites, sources have told The Star.
“Some decisions have to be made. I don’t know how to sugarcoat this, but the Royals have got to make a decision,” Parson said on KCMO Talk Radio last Friday.
“They’ve either got to say we’re going to go, we’re going to build a stadium, what that’s going to look like and what we’re going to need or what is their ask.”
Parson, who will leave office in January, said “there’s nothing I can help with” until the team figures out where it’s headed.
“I don’t even know that at this point,” Parson said. “I don’t know if anybody up there does.”
The governor added that if the Royals don’t have a plan in place by Jan. 1, 2025, “it’s going to be too late.”
“You can’t make a plan in November, December and expect the state to come in and help you,” he said, but didn’t elaborate further.
The public warning to the Royals suggests the team faces a ticking clock to secure support from Missouri.
The General Assembly will reconvene in January, but any proposed legislation will almost certainly need to be in development well in advance to secure the support of key lawmakers and overcome — or at least soften — opposition.
The session lasts until May. Complex and controversial legislation can take months to pass. The later in the session a plan is brought forward the more difficult passage will become.
The future of the Royals and the Chiefs have been uncertain since Jackson County voters rejected a stadiums sales tax in April ahead of the expiration of the teams’ leases at the Truman Sports Complex in 2031.
The Kansas Legislature this spring passed a bill authorizing a supercharged bonding program to entice one or both teams across the border.
The Royals declined to comment on potential sites — in Kansas City, Missouri, or otherwise — but have emphasized since the April vote that they would explore all options.
