Hamilton County Commissioners voted 2-1 Tuesday to approve a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Cincinnati Bengals to fund renovations for Paycor Stadium next year.
Under the agreement, the county will spend $64.5 million to help fund the first phase of renovations to Paycor. The county's money will largely go toward accessibility improvements, including new escalators, elevators, electrical upgrades, and suite seat replacement inside the stadium.
The money will come from a half-cent sales tax approved by voters nearly 30 years ago, which funded the construction of what is now Paycor Stadium and Great American Ball Park. That tax now funds the ongoing maintenance for the county-owned facilities.
The Cincinnati Bengals and the NFL will put up most of the money for the first phase of the renovations, which totals $185 million. The complete renovation project is expected to take place over the next few years and is estimated to cost around $830 million.
The MOU is only an agreement on funding for the renovations. Paycor Stadium's current lease, which dates back nearly three decades, expires in 2026. Hamilton County and the Bengals have not come up with a new long-term lease agreement after negotiating for almost two years.
Commission President Denise Driehaus says while there's still work to do, the MOU may get them closer to a deal.
"We need a better lease. We need a better relationship with the team, and the NFL, and the state to get more financial participation from all of the above," Driehaus said.
Hamilton County and the Begnals are seeking additional funds for the rest of the $830 million renovation project. A few weeks ago, the two parties submitted a request to the state of Ohio for $350 million in state money for stadium-wide improvements.
The request was submitted shortly after Ohio House Republicans included $600 million in their proposed state budget for the Cleveland Browns to build a new stadium near the city's airport in Brook Park.
Commissioner Alicia Reece was the only one to vote against the MOU, saying the Bengals' ownership hadn't done enough to earn that much financial support for the county. Reece says the team and the NFL haven't offered up the stadium for many community events past, pointing to a situation in 2022 where she claims the league had denied her request to host a free Bengals' Super Bowl watch party at the stadium, only for the Bengals and Sports Illustrated to host a similar watch party of their own at Paycor two years later, charging $99 a person.
Now, she says she wants a lease finalized that includes more opportunities to host events inside the facility during the NFL offseason.
"I can't support it, because at some point we've got to say, 'let's stop and really get to the lease,'" Reece said.
President Driehaus says the MOU approved Tuesday includes a clause allowing Hamilton County to pull its funding for renovations if a lease deal is not agreed upon.
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