Overview
- Public hearings Tuesday in Kansas City, Kansas, and Olathe consider pledging incremental sales taxes via STAR bonds for a proposed $3 billion fixed‑roof stadium in Wyandotte County and a $300 million headquarters in Olathe, with site documents released.
- Olathe’s proposed ordinance would dedicate for up to 30 years the city’s 1% general sales and use tax from the district, its 17.63% share of Johnson County sales tax, and 7% transient guest tax, while excluding voter‑committed taxes and revenues from other special districts.
- City staff say bonds issued for the STAR bond project would not be full‑faith‑and‑credit obligations of Olathe and would not constitute a debt or liability of the city.
- The Olathe council scheduled a public hearing and vote Tuesday, and the Unified Government set a follow‑up meeting Thursday to take formal action on its sales tax pledge.
- A Kansas Department of Commerce spokesperson called local revenue a key piece of the financing structure that would leave a gap if not pledged, as nearby residents and an economist questioned the timeline, transparency, and revenue assumptions.