Hamilton County approves early stadium procurements as Bengals lease talks continue

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…