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Details on lease demands for Paycor Stadium still unclear

Paycor Stadium sits empty after the NFL postponed the game following an injury to Buffalo Bills' Damar Hamlin during the first half of an NFL football game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills, Monday, Jan. 2, 2023, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Emilee Chinn)

CINCINNATI — Details on the lease demands for Paycor Stadium are still unclear.

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Hamilton County started working with the Cincinnati Bengals to determine what next at Paycor Stadium four years ago, our news partners WCPO-9 TV reported.

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Hamilton County Commissioner Alicia Rece said it’s time to fix what’s wrong instead.

“We’re trying to get out of an upside-down lease. Everything else is irrelevant,” Reece said.

Commissioners were briefed on “Negotiation Framework” for stadium renovations, WCPO-9 TV reported.

While the six-page document outlines the issues the county wants to address in future lease negotiations with the team, it does not offer any specific lease terms that the county has proposed.

Instead, the document lists its first priority as “the design, development, financing, renovation, operation and maintenance” of a $1.25 billion Paycor Stadium Complex that was unveiled by county officials last September, WCPO-9 TV reported.

“We can’t build another thing until we straighten out the relationship contractually between the taxpayers and the Bengal ownership,” Reece said.

Four days before the stadium discussion, emails showing the Bengals and county officials had accused each other of defaulting on their 1997 stadium lease were released to the public.

The lease is scheduled to expire in June 2026, but the Bengals have the option to extend the lease by two years under the existing terms.

The team must exercise the option by June 30 of the year for the extension to go into effect, WCPO-9 TV reported.

“Don’t wait ‘til the final seconds,” Reece told Hamilton County Administrator Jeff Aluotto. “Don’t let the clock run out. Let’s get down to the lease.”

The lease discussion should proceed simultaneously with the development of the financing plan for the stadium complex and negotiations that prioritize what parts of the complex should be built first or revised, according to Aluotto.

“We have said from the beginning that we can’t really start these formal discussions and detailed discussions until we had the facility condition assessment and master plan together,” Aluotto said. “If you’re going to build a house, you need to know what the plan is.”

Commission President Denise Driehaus also felt that the simultaneous approach is best, WCPO-9 TV reported.

“I think a broad framework is appropriate,” Driehaus said. “You don’t go in and say, ‘This one, this one, this one,’ but rather, this is what we’re trying to accomplish. A better deal. A fair-market deal for the taxpayers and keeping the Bengals here long term.”

There have been three proposals made by the Bengals to extend the lease on it’s existing terms in exchange for commitments by the team to invest in stadium improvements,

However, neither side has clearly identified what it wants in a future lease for a renovated Paycor Stadium.

When asked about the specific lease terms the county and the Bengals have discussed, Driehaus declined to comment.

The negotiation framework calls for “fair and equitable contributions” from the county, team, NFL and state of Ohio to pay for renovations, WCPO-9 TV reported.

“The county has been clear that we are seeking a market lease,” said Aluotto. “We realize there is no one-size-fits-all lease amongst NFL teams. While that might make discerning a true market lease more difficult, we’re confident that as we do sit down, we’ll be able to … ensure taxpayers are getting a deal commensurate with other NFL communities.”

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