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Economic border war truce on shaky ground with proposed relocation

A Kansas City-based company is offered millions in incentives from both states in a border battle to keep the company.

A truce on Missouri and Kansas’ economic border war became signed legislation back in August 2019.

Less than a year later after its signing, it appears that truce is on shaky ground as both states fight to keep BlueScope, a company currently located in Missouri.

The state-level “border war” truce was intended to end the use of state incentives to lure businesses from Jackson, Platte, Clay or Cass counties in Missouri to Johnson, Wyandotte or Miami counties in Kansas.

The Kansas City-based company is a one of several grandfathered companies in the economic border war between Missouri and Kansas and could receive $20 million to relocate to the Kansas side.

Negotiations on potential incentives started before Kan. Gov. Kelly and Missouri Gov. Parson signed the truce in August, according to the Kansas City Business Journal.

If the company stays at its current location in the West Bottoms and increases a certain number of jobs over the next six years, Missouri could contribute as much as $5.6 million, according to The Kansas City Star.

For now, the company is asking the city council to amend an existing agreement for the lease of 400 or more discounted parking spaces in a nearby city-owned parking garage, according to the Business Journal. The company wants to extend the lease and eliminate parking fees, which would create a savings of $2.4 million over 10 years.

The company’s Kansas City facility currently employees 339 people.