Hamilton County approves MOU with Cincinnati Bengals to begin Paycor Stadium phase 1 work

Hamilton CountyBoard of County Commissioners voted 2-1 April 29 to approve a memorandum of understanding with the Cincinnati Bengals that authorizes planning and limited preconstruction activity for phase 1 of renovations at Paycor Stadium.

County administrator Jeff Aluto told commissioners the MOUformalizes ongoing lease negotiations with the team, defines elements of the phase 1 scope and allows early procurement so the project can proceed in 2026. "This MOU contains no new taxes," Aluto said during his presentation.

The MOU outlines a phase 1 capital package in which the team will invest about $120,000,000 in stadium upgrades, $60,000,000 of that expected to come from an NFL loan the team would repay. County staff said Hamilton County would fund and complete about $34,500,000 in projects that the team needs finished to unlock the NFL funding. County work described in the presentation includes escalator replacement in the East/West club lounges, electrical and code upgrades, suite glazing and a technical-control room replacement for the stadium audiovisual system (referred to in the presentation as "Jungle Vision"). Aluto estimated roughly $3,000,000 in early county procurement for escalator parts to meet long lead…