Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Finance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
House budget panel presses for records on decades of payments to Kansas City convention center
Summary
The House Budget Committee questioned decades-long, roughly $2 million annual appropriations to the Kansas City convention/sports authorities and asked OA/FMDC to produce documentation showing whether the state has any enforceable contract or expected return on those payments.
The Missouri House Budget Committee pressed Office of Administration officials on a long-running $2 million annual appropriation to the Kansas City convention authority and related payments to the Jackson County Sports Authority, saying members want a clearer accounting of what the state receives in return.
Stacy Neal, director of accounting for the Office of Administration, told the committee she has found no financing agreement that places the state on the hook for bond or debt service tied to the Kansas City facilities and said payments have historically been made “subject to appropriation” when local entities contributed matching funds. Neal said the state keeps documentation showing the authority sends documentation of local contributions and the state matches up to the appropriation amount.
Committee members said the arrangement is longstanding and opaque. Representative Mayhew noted the program dates to the early 1990s; Representative Chappell and others said the state has paid roughly $2 million a year for multiple decades and that the cumulative outlay is “more than $70,000,000” over that time, an estimate several members cited during questioning.
Several lawmakers pressed OA to seek records from Kansas City and Jackson County that show how the local funds were used, what specific projects were supported, and whether invoices or other accountability measures exist. Representative Steinmeier said the committee expects a review and “will make them sweat” for returns and performance data; Representative Owen urged staff to get additional documents and suggested the committee should consider removing the standing appropriation if no accountability can be shown.
The committee asked OA/FMDC to report back with the documentation they have, including any memoranda of understanding, invoices, and evidence of how the local matches were used. Members signaled they may pursue legislative or budgetary fixes, including removing or conditioning the appropriation, if the paperwork does not show a clear public benefit or enforceable obligation.
Next steps: OA committed to seeking additional records from Kansas City and Jackson County and to provide the committee with a fuller accounting; the committee said it will review that material before marking up related appropriations.
Quote: “There’s statutory authority that says when they contribute, we’ll contribute the same amount subject to appropriation,” OA accounting director Stacy Neal said; Representative Chapel called the practice “the dumbest reason I’ve heard in a long, long time,” pressing for tighter oversight.
