The residents of Jackson County, Missouri resoundingly voted down a sales tax measure that would have helped to fund a new downtown ballpark for the Kansas City Royals along with major renovations to Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Chiefs.

Royals owner John Sherman and Chiefs president Mark Donovan acknowledged long before the final tally that the initiative would fail. 

More than 58% of voters rejected the plan, which would have replaced three-eighths of a cent sales tax that has been paying for the upkeep of Truman Sports Complex -- the home for more than 50 years to Kauffman and Arrowhead Stadiums -- with a similar tax that would have been in place for the next 40 years.

Donovan said the Chiefs would do "what is in the best interest of our fans and our organization as we move forward."