Taxpayers poured millions of dollars into financing packages that paved the way for developments at Kansas Speedway, Sporting Park, Cerner Corp. and Legends of Village West in Kansas City, Kan.
The STAR bond program, which diverts local and state sales tax revenue to pay off construction debt, pumped $80 million into Overland Park’s Prairiefire and dropped $40 million on projects in Wichita. In the past, STAR bonds were used for Manhattan’s Discovery Museum, Hutchinson’s salt museum and Topeka’s auto racetrack.