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Olathe Backs Chiefs HQ With STAR Bonds as Wyandotte Sets Vote on Stadium District

State officials say local tax pledges are essential to the STAR bond financing.

Overview

  • The Olathe City Council voted 7-0 to pledge specified new sales and hotel taxes generated within a project area for up to 30 years to support STAR bonds for a $300 million Chiefs headquarters and training facility.
  • Olathe’s pledge covers the city’s 1% general sales tax, its 17.63% share of Johnson County’s 0.5% sales tax, and 7% of hotel tax within the district, contingent on the facility locating there and bonds being issued by Dec. 31, 2030.
  • Wyandotte County held a packed public hearing with significant opposition and is slated to vote Thursday, Feb. 5, on a stadium STAR bond district, with county officials citing a decision window extending to Feb. 20 before the state may proceed.
  • County leaders say the Wyandotte taxing district would be limited to the area around the proposed site near 126th Street and State Avenue, smaller than a state-referenced map, and would exclude voter-approved taxes.
  • The plan envisions a $3 billion fixed-roof stadium in Wyandotte County and a mixed-use Olathe campus, and state commerce officials warn that without local participation the financing package would face a significant gap.