Kansas City Threatens Clap Back Against Hunt Biz After Chiefs Move

This note from an AWESOME TKC TIPSTER inspired us to ask around and here's what we know for certain . . .

The current administration is attempting to calm council threats to claw back money from the Hunt family biz. 

This week . . . We'll see if those efforts to calm tempers were successful.

In the meantime . . . We think this EPIC TKC INSIDER behind the scenes glimpse at 12th & Oak chatter deserves attention:  

EAST SIDE UPRISING RUMORS: TIME TO CLAW BACK THOSE SWEET HUNT FAMILY TAX GIVEAWAYS BEFORE THEY BLEED KC DRY 

Word is that a couple of council members from the East Side are gearing up to drop a bombshell ordinance. We're talking about reining in, or straight-up clawing back, all those fat-cat tax incentives handed out like candy to the Hunt family for their mega-projects. You know, the ones that make billionaires even richer while the rest of us scrape by on pothole-riddled streets and underfunded schools? Yeah, those.

Let's break it down, because if these rumors pan out, it could be the first real pushback against the endless developer welfare that's turned KC into a playground for the elite. 

Even though the Royals are Sherman's baby, the Hunt family's fingerprints are all over the broader stadium drama, especially with their Chiefs ties and the joint sales tax pitches that got shot down by voters back in '24. We're talking hundreds of millions in potential abatements, TIF districts, and sales tax exemptions that the Hunt clan was right there lobbying for simultaneously as they were wooing Olathe and Kansas officials. 

Now, with the Chiefs bolting to Kansas on a $2 or 4 or 6?? billion taxpayer-funded ride (thanks to those STAR bonds), East Side folks are saying enough is enough – why should KC keep subsidizing Hunt-linked ventures when our own house is falling apart?

East Side folks are asking the Council to target Project Kestrel, the Hunt Midwest monster that's basically a $100 billion data center campus plopped near KCI Airport. Hunt family-owned, of course, because why not let the billionaires behind the Chiefs also dominate the tech infrastructure game? 

Port KC with its 2 Northland Councilmen rubber-stamped this beast with 20-year property tax abatements, sales tax exemptions on construction materials, and a whopping $100 billion in revenue bonds. Sure, they promise "50-100 jobs" and some vague workforce development fees (like $0.25 per square foot – big whoop), but critics are screaming it's a net loss for taxpayers. Over $110 million in "new tax revenue" over decades? Pfft, that's chump change compared to the billions in subsidies and exemptions. Rumors say the East Side crew is eyeing this as prime clawback territory, arguing that if the Hunts can afford to build empires, they can pay their fair share of KCMO taxes. 

Citizens are already balking at the energy suck and minimal community benefits – imagine if KC Council jumps in to yank those incentives mid-build?

Then there's the irony of all this: giveaways being discussed from the Hunt family's Crossroads headquarters at Carrington Square. This slick setup didn't just materialize out of thin air; it rode in on a wave of tax incentive plans that included TIF financing and property tax breaks to "revitalize" the area. 

We're talking the kind of deal where developers like Hunt Midwest get to capture incremental tax revenues for years, all while the East Side waits for basic infrastructure fixes. The whole Crossroads vibe – artsy, trendy, overpriced – got a massive boost from these handouts, but who really benefits? Not the working-class folks east of Troost, that's for damn sure. If these rumors hold water, the ordinance could force a review of many tax plans, potentially clawing back unearned breaks and redirecting funds to neglected neighborhoods.

Look, KC, this ain't just about sticking it to the Hunts – though let's be real, a family worth billions (thanks to oil, sports, and real estate) doesn't need our handouts to thrive. It's about equity. East Side folks are fed up with downtown sucking up all the incentives while their constituents deal with crime, crumbling schools, and zero economic trickle-down. If this ordinance drops, it could spark a full-on tax incentive revolt, forcing a rethink on how we dole out public dough to private empires. Of course, the suits at City Hall will cry "job killer” but we just watched a bunch of jobs at the TSC vaporize starting in 2031. They didn't seem to care too much about those.

The East Side stands to lose the most from the Chiefs abandoning Arrowhead.  It's time to fight back . . .
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