The Kansas City Star · September 4, 2026
Stadium construction will be funded by $1.8 billion in Kansas STAR bonds.
A former top Kansas lawmaker turned Kansas City Chiefs lobbyist will represent the team on the board charged with owning and overseeing construction of a $3 billion stadium in Wyandotte County.
A Chiefs spokesperson confirmed the selection of former Kansas House Speaker Ron Ryckman in an email. The spokesperson declined to elaborate on why Ryckman was chosen or how the team views his role as a voting member of the quasi-public sports authority.
The sports authority model, a structure the Chiefs sought, mirrors their current setup in Jackson County -- while also giving them a more direct say in operational decisions.
As a team lobbyist, Ryckman was instrumental in securing a deal to lure the Chiefs across the Missouri border to construct a new, heavily subsidized stadium in Kansas City, Kansas.
The Olathe Republican, who served as House speaker from 2017-2023, said in an email statement that he was "honored to have the faith and trust of the Hunt family and team leadership as they begin this journey."
Ryckman said he plans to balance the interests of the team and the state as a member of the 11-person board.
"I look forward to finding ways for the stadium to reach its full potential while generating the biggest impact in the region and delivering benefits to the state of Kansas," he said.
While the vast majority of NFL stadiums are publicly owned, the Chiefs are the first team with a representative who gets to vote on stadium-related decisions, a Star analysis found.
This spring, some Kansas lawmakers questioned why it would be appropriate for the team-appointed member to have voting privileges, given the authority's broad powers.
In an April interview, Chiefs President Mark Donovan said the board was too large for one team representative to exercise undue influence.
"Why wouldn't we get on the board so that we're in all the meetings (and) we're in the discussions?" Donovan said. "It's an 11-person board -- it's not so much a leverage thing when 11 people vote."
Besides the team representative, the board will include the commerce secretary, appointees of the governor and legislative leaders, and local representatives from KCK and Olathe, where the Chiefs plan to build their new team headquarters and practice facility.
How does Kansas sports authority work?
The authority will be exempt from competitive bidding requirements under legislation approved by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Laura Kelly. But the legislation calls on the board to "utilize competition among contractors and vendors to the extent practicable under the circumstances."
As a public entity, the sports authority is exempt from property taxes. That designation will allow the Chiefs to purchase property for the stadium and training facility and convey it to the corporate body to avoid paying state or local taxes that residents and business owners must pay annually.
The authority will be allowed to appoint an executive director, who will serve at the pleasure of the board and receive a salary paid out of the Chiefs' annual rent payments. The authority will be required to provide annual reports to various legislative groups and engage a third-party independent auditor to audit its books annually.
The team has said it anticipates playing games in the new stadium starting in 2031.
Stadium construction will be funded by $1.8 billion in bond issuances that will be paid back with incremental sales tax revenue generated across a mammoth two-county STAR bond district. The incentive district's exact boundaries don't have to be finalized by Lt. Gov. and Commerce Secretary David Toland until October.
Here's a full list of sports authority members:
John Bacon: Olathe mayor
John Barker: former state representative
Jack Brier: CEO of US Alliance Life & Security Co.
Marty Cornejo: co-owner of Cornejo Holdings LLC
Ty Dragoo: state legislative director for Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers Transportation Division
Kurt Eck: President of CFM Corp.
Alise Martiny: vice president of Operative Plasterers' and Cement Masons' International Association
Adam Proffitt: secretary of administration, state budget director
David Toland: lieutenant governor, commerce secretary
Christal Watson: mayor of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas