ST. LOUIS – A Missouri bill aimed at keeping the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals in the state could also potentially help the St. Louis Cardinals move forward with major upgrades at Busch Stadium.
Missouri Senate Bill 3, a special session bill sent to Gov. Mike Kehoe’s desk earlier this week, creates the “Show-Me Sports Investment Act.” The legislation would authorize the state to cover up to 50% of costs for large-scale stadium projects.
To qualify, the stadium must be based in Missouri, seat at least 30,000 people and host a professional sports team. And any proposed upgrades must be considered a “primary factor in retention of a professional sports franchise,” according to the bill.
The Cardinals, with Busch Stadium III, check all of these boxes. And the timing of the bill is quite compelling given the ballpark turns 20 years old next season.
What could this mean for the Cardinals?
If signed into law, the bill would allow the Cardinals to apply for state funding on a stadium project valued at $500 million or more. The state could contribute up to half the costs, with the rest coming from private donors or local investments.
The bill, however, comes with many important conditions.
1. The bill caps state appropriations at the amount of “baseline year state tax revenues” in any given year, or the amount of taxes the state collects from the team’s stadium operations. That includes ticket sales, payroll taxes and other revenue streams. Attendance and TV deals may factor into this, even if only slightly.
2. State funding could extend for up to 30 years on any eligible proposal, but each year’s contribution would be subject to legislative appropriation, meaning certain costs are not guaranteed upfront.
3. To qualify, state officials need to be “satisfied that there is sufficient public investment made or to be made by units of local government.” That could mean commitments from the City of St. Louis, private donors or both. The Cardinals have previously pushed back on the idea of taxpayer-funded stadium upgrades, and how that stance might align with local investment expectations in the case of a stadium-upgrade proposal remains to be seen.
4. On a similar note, the bill allows individuals or organizations involved in funding to receive a 50% Missouri state tax credit for contributions to a project’s infrastructure fund, However, those credits are capped at 10% of private investment or $50 million, whichever is less. The tax credits, like other supporting parts of the proposal, would only make up a modest portion of a broader funding plan.
5. Also of importance, the legislation excludes “residential, commercial, retail, or mixed-use development adjacent to” a stadium for eligibility. So the Cardinals could not request Ballpark Village expansion in a half-billion project proposal.
6. The bill also comes with a clawback provision, meaning that if a team receives state funds and later relocates out of Missouri, they would be required to repay the full amount offered from the state, including bond costs and tax credits. This clause seems tailored more toward the Chiefs and Royals, but it would apply to any franchise receiving state funds, including the Cardinals.
What might qualify?
Eligible expenses may include a wide range of stadium, including, but not limited to (according to the bill):
“Foundations, roofs, interior and exterior walls or windows, floors, steps, stairs, concourses, hallways, restrooms, event or meeting, spaces or other hospitality-related areas, concession or food preparation areas, or services systems such as mechanical, gas utility, electrical, lighting, communication, sound, sanitary, HVAC, elevator, escalator, plumbing, sprinkler, cabling and wiring, life-safety security cameras, access deterrents, public safety improvements, or other building systems.”
Last year, Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III told FOX 2 Sports Director Martin Kilcoyne that the team could explore upgrades such as replacing seats, upgrading HVAC systems, improving lighting and other technological advancement in the future.
The bottom line
The St. Louis Cardinals stand to benefit from this legislation, but only if they propose a large-scale, stadium-focused project and can secure some significant sources of non-state funding. Any proposal would need to clearly focus on upgrading Busch Stadium infrastructure and help ensure the long-term presence of the Cardinals in Missouri.
While the bill doesn’t guarantee state support, it opens the door to substantial financial support from the state that could help shape the long-term outlook of Busch Stadium and the Cardinals’ future in St. Louis.