Frank White Proposes New Plan to Keep Chiefs in Arrowhead

Jackson County Executive Frank White Jr. has modified the previously failed three-eighths-cent sales tax in an effort to keep the Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium in addition to aiding public safety and health. Photo credit: Will Crow.

Posted July 15, 2025

Jackson County Executive Frank White Jr. has proposed a new way to retain the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium by modifying the three-eighths-cent sales tax that failed to pass in 2024.

In a written letter from White sent to Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe on July 8, obtained through a Sunshine Law by The Beacon on Monday, he suggested the existing three-eighths-cent sales tax would be split among three revenue streams.

If White’s new plan passes, he expects the proposal to generate $500 million to $700 million for each of the three paths.

Under White’s new proposal, one-third of the revenue generated by the sales tax would go toward improvements to Arrowhead Stadium. Another third of the revenue would go to Jackson County infrastructure improvement and the remaining third would go to University Health for public health improvements.

The three-eighths-cent sales tax previously failed to pass by Jackson County voters during the April 2, 2024, vote. In that proposed plan, the Kansas City Chiefs would receive half of the revenue under the current tax. Additionally, the 2024 plan also included the Kansas City Royals, in which the franchise would receive the other half of the generated revenue. However, revenues generated for the Royals were not mentioned in White’s letter to Kehoe.

While the plan doesn’t include revenues for the Royals, White said Jackson County would be ready to support the City’s efforts in retaining the team if the Royals expressed “express interest in reengaging.” The Royals have yet to publicly announce where to move their new ballpark or remain in Jackson County.

The proposed plan outlined in White’s letter wouldn’t be eligible for election in Jackson County until August 2026. The plan would also require three separate ballot questions for each revenue path. In his letter, White called that strategy an “impractical path for a unified community plan.”

To counter this impractical path, White suggested a statutory amendment be passed to allow the renewed tax to be used for more than one related purpose and consolidate the three revenues into one ballot question for voters.

Kehoe has not yet responded to White’s proposal.