Hamilton County commissioners voted to approve two buy‑leave procurement items and to establish spending authority tied to the Phase 1 vertical transportation work at Paycor Stadium while a final lease with the Bengals is still under negotiation.

County Administrator Jeff Aludo presented an update and a letter of intent that he said captures major economic terms for a new lease, including an 11‑year initial term beginning with the 2025 season and five optional two‑year extensions. "I just wanna make it 1 thing really clear, and that is that voters approved a half cent sales tax back in 1996 for 2 stadia on the riverfront," Aludo told the commissioners, saying that tax “is the only source of revenue that is used for maintaining the stadium, and Great American Ballpark.”

The negotiating team’s letter of intent, described by Aludo, would reduce the public capital share compared with the 1997 lease and put a ceiling on the county’s capital and annual CapEx obligations. Under the terms outlined in the presentation, the county’s capital contribution would be $350,000,000 and the team’s $120,000,000; project costs discussed publicly were reduced from a previously reported $1.3 billion plan to a renovation plan closer to $470,000,000. Aludo said the team would pay market rent under the proposed deal and that that rent would “directly offset the operations and maintenance of the stadium itself.”

At the meeting the board voted to authorize two trade contracts for structural steel and concrete tied to the club vertical‑transportation project and to establish an appropriation for the overall club vertical‑transportation scope. Those buy‑leave items were presented as necessary because of long procurement lead times for materials. Phil Beck, who described the items to the board, said the steel procurement has a long lead time similar to the escalator work previously approved by the board.

Commissioner Denise Dreehaus said the administration has published key negotiating documents and that the LOI provides an "alternative" to the existing 1997 lease. Commissioner Alicia Reese, who reviewed public comments submitted to the county website, said the county received roughly an even split of emailed comments for and against the proposed terms and emphasized the board’s responsibility to protect taxpayers while keeping the team in the county.

Public comment at the meeting was dominated by fans and community members urging the commissioners to complete a deal that keeps the Bengals in Hamilton County. Craig Johnson told the board, "I just wanna commend the commission on, on getting a fantastic deal for the county." Other speakers described economic and cultural benefits from the team and stadium; one commenter, Kent Evans, warned the board against committing public funds without additional information.

Some speakers and several written comments pressed the board to preserve the property tax rollback that voters were told would accompany earlier stadium funding, and asked whether promised property‑tax rebates remain protected under the new proposal. In response, commissioners and staff repeatedly emphasized that the half‑cent fund approved by voters in 1996 is the revenue source for stadium maintenance and renovation, and that the letter of intent is not yet a final lease.

The board approved the two buy‑leave items and the appropriation authority by majority vote; Commissioner Alicia Reese recorded a no vote on the buy‑leave motions. Administrator Aludo said the county would exercise termination clauses in the construction and procurement agreements if the board and the team do not finalize a lease.

The county’s negotiating team and the Bengals continue to work on the finer points of a final lease, including insurance, management and maintenance responsibilities, and a community benefits agreement that Aludo said would include workforce protections and inclusion measures. Commissioners said they expect further presentations and formal lease language before any final lease is executed by the board.

What happens next: commissioners and staff will continue lease negotiations with the Bengals; additional contract awards and appropriations tied to construction will be presented to the board as the parties finalize the lease. The board’s vote today authorized early procurement with termination provisions rather than approving a final lease.