Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine predicted it—more requests for taxpayer money to fund football stadium upgrades.
Hamilton County has asked the state to provide $350 million to upgrade Cincinnati’s Paycor Stadium in Ohio’s budget. This comes days after the Ohio House of Representatives approved $600 million in bonds to help the Cleveland Browns build a domed stadium, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.
According to Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Driehaus, the county and the Bengals met with Gov. Mike DeWine and state lawmakers to ask for $350 million. Even though it didn’t get in the House version of the budget, she said there’s still time to lobby the Senate.
The Ohio House of Representatives approved its version of the state’s two-year budget proposal earlier this week. And questions are swirling if political donations from the Browns’ billionaire-owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam, who head up the Haslam Sports Group, influenced lawmakers’ decision to include the $600 million in bonds.
Hamilton County Commissioners discussed the funding request at Thursday’s meeting. Commissioner Stephanie Summerow Dumas said she’s concerned that the state is ignoring the region.
“My concern is the fact state budget seems to be focusing on the Cleveland Browns, our lease ends before theirs,” Dumas said. “Why is there so much focus on the Browns? It’s not due to lack of effort on our part.”
DeWine appears to have known this was coming and is trying to block the House budget amendment. He’s publicly opposed the taxpayer handouts, saying the state doesn’t have the money and it would set a bad precedent.
“We can’t really afford to continue to put money in sports stadiums out of a general fund,” DeWine said in this News 5 Cleveland report. “There’s not enough money there.”
Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati is home to the Cincinnati Bengals. Hamilton County has plans for $1.25 billion in renovations for Paycor Stadium as the Bengals’ lease is set to expire in 2026.
WCPO 9 TV News announced details of the renovations last September. But who is going to pay for it, along with details of the lease renewal, remains up in the air.
During a Sept. 17, 2024, meeting, then-Hamilton County Commission President Alicia Reece promised that officials are working to strike a better deal with the Bengals. Under the current lease, taxpayers shoulder 95% of the cost.
“The current funding model, we can't go back to that,” Reece said.
Reece also stated she had met with Gov. DeWine to request state funding for stadium renovations, noting that the Cleveland Browns had already approached him for the same financial help.
“You can’t give everything to Cleveland and leave us with the scraps,” Reece said. “We certainly have to get our fair share and not be left with the scraps.”
Meanwhile, Hamilton County hired David Abrams, of New York-based Inner Circle Sports, to advise them on stadium negotiations. The cost: $25,000 per month on retainer, with an additional fee of up to $450,000 possible — if his advice leads to a new lease with the Cincinnati Bengals, WCPO 9 recently reported after obtaining documents through a record request.
He’s been paid $100,000 since his hiring, first reported by WCPO’s I-Team on Jan. 29. He signed a contract with Hamilton County in October 2023, with pricing details further specified in a Jan. 1 amendment.
The documents show that Abrams would make the most money for “drafting and negotiating new terms for lease and other development issues as it relates to Paycor Stadium,” with $450,000 “payable at signing of all definitive documents, including a new lease agreement with the Cincinnati Bengals Inc.”
Renderings show an overhaul of the stadium’s north end zone sections, with new club seats and other premium-seating options, a large viewing patio, and a giant scoreboard. The plan would expand the plaza and concourse around Paycor Stadium to improve pedestrian flow.
Officials want to turn the stadium site into more of a campus, with a permanent indoor practice facility that includes a large headquarters space for the team.
Unlike the new stadium in Cleveland, the renovations to Paycor Stadium do not include a dome, which county officials deemed too costly. The proposal also doesn’t increase the stadium’s 65,000-seat capacity.
Formerly Paul Brown Stadium, Paycor Stadium opened in August 2000 along the riverfront. With expansive views and a postmodern, open-air design, the structure won an architectural award and became a recognizable part of the downtown skyline.
