It's a historic day in Kansas City as the Chiefs and Royals announced a set of comprehensive Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs) with Jackson County that outline an unprecedented array of commitments supporting county residents for decades to come.
Together, the CBAs – which will total more than $260 million combined from the two teams – are the largest in Kansas City's history and symbolize a tangible commitment to the community by both the Chiefs and Royals.
"A Community Benefits Agreement is an extremely important part of a project like this, and it's wide-reaching," said Chiefs President Mark Donovan. "The headline is that it covers a commitment by the teams of $266 million in spending toward community programs in Jackson County, but it also covers things that are very newsworthy to our unions, construction trades and workforce. As part of that, we've agreed to unprecedented MBE/WBE percentages."
Indeed, the CBAs outline a guarantee by both franchises that 43 percent of all construction will involve minority and women-owned businesses. That commitment extends to both the construction phase of the Arrowhead Stadium renovation and the Royals' new ballpark.
"That is unprecedented. It has never been done before at that high of a rate," Donovan said. "The key with that is it not only generates wealth for minority and women-owned businesses, but it also creates the opportunity to help training and apprenticeship programs within those trades and unions."
Essentially, the idea is that these workforce percentage guarantees will not only benefit those in the short-term, but they'll also create opportunities for generational advancement when it comes to minorities and women interested in these various fields, and that's just one part of this historic set of CBAs.
The Chiefs' agreement, specifically, totals $126 million in commitments that will be governed by a board appointed by the Jackson County Legislature and the Chiefs. The funds will touch a broad range of initiatives including employment benefits, healthcare, youth programming, diversity benefits, workforce assistance, education and public transportation benefits.
Keep in mind, this is all in addition to the more than $200 million in economic relief that the Chiefs and Royals have provided Jackson County by eliminating the county's obligation to pay stadium insurance premiums and park levy to the teams.
It all represents an enormous step forward as the Chiefs, Royals and Jackson County aim to enhance their long-standing partnership.
"It was really important that we demonstrated our commitment to this community, which we did today. That is all on top of an exciting reimagining of Arrowhead, and it takes nothing new from the county," Donovan said. "The amount of tax doesn't change. It's just extending the existing tax."
It's critical to mention that these historic CBAs are contingent on a majority "Yes" vote during the Jackson County general municipal election on April 2. A positive result will not only keep both the Chiefs and Royals in Jackson County for decades to come, but also pour millions of dollars - $266 million to be exact – directly back into the community.
For more information, visit YesOn1JacksonCounty.com.
