Kansas City law firm hired to handle stadium negotiations with Chiefs, Royals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - The Jackson County Legislature takes the next step when it comes to the future of the Truman Sports Complex.

During a meeting Monday, legislators agreed to hire Hardwick Law Firm, LLC of Kansas City, Missouri, to handle stadium lease negotiations between the Jackson County and the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals.

The agreement is a 12-month, $100,000 contract. It comes with two 12-month options to extend the contract.

The decision comes as the Royals weigh the future in Kansas City. The organization said it plans to announce whether the team will build a new stadium downtown, or move to North Kansas City, by the end of September.

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Either way the Royals are under a lease to play at Kauffman Stadium until 2031.

Last month members of the Jackson County Sports Complex Authority told legislators that the organization plans to honor that committment.

“The Royals have said that they are going to honor that lease. At the end of the day Mr. Sherman owns the team. If he wants to take it downtown, he can take it downtown,” Shawn Foster, Jackson County Sports Authority Chair, said during the Aug. 28 meeting.

Also at stake is the possibility of extending the 3/8th-cent sales tax that supports the Truman Sports Complex.

One of the issues facing Jackson County is that the Royals and Chiefs are asking for different terms in the extension of that tax, according to the Jackson County Sports Authority. The Royals want a 40-year sales tax to stay in the county. The Chiefs have supported a 25-year extension of the sales tax.

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The Sports Authority has said there will be little time between when the Royals announce the location of a new stadium and negotiating leases to get a possible sales tax on a ballot.

In the past the Royals have said the organization is ready to negotiate in good faith with the county.