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Commissioners review Paycor Stadium MOU; vote deferred as debate continues over timing, funding and lease terms
Summary
County staff presented a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Cincinnati Bengals to begin preconstruction work for a phased Paycor Stadium renovation. The board discussed funding, deadlines and lease concerns and agreed to revisit the MOU at a vote next week; no MOU vote occurred on April 20.
County administration presented a memorandum of understanding on April 20 that would let Hamilton County and the Cincinnati Bengals advance design, procurement and limited equipment purchases for a phased Paycor Stadium renovation planned to begin in 2026. Commissioners debated dollar amounts, risk to taxpayers and whether county commitments should precede a finalized long-term lease with the team.
Jeff (county staff) said the renovation program has been refined from an initial $1.3 billion estimate to approximately $830 million staged across four phases, subject to funding. For phase 1, he said team-funded work would total roughly $120 million (team equity plus NFL loan funds) and county-funded projects would total about $64.5 million, focused on vertical-transportation repairs (escalators/elevators), electrical and power upgrades, suite seats, glazing and the stadium’s control room for audiovisual systems. The county has also sought $350 million in state assistance and the team secured NFL G5 loan financing, Jeff said.
“Given the associated lead times…the team and the county will continue initial planning and procurement activities associated with these projects in 2025 with the goal of implementing them in 2026,” Jeff said, describing the MOU’s intent to enable preconstruction work while the parties continue negotiating a comprehensive lease by June 30, 2025—the date the team must exercise a two-year lease extension, per staff.
Commissioner Stephanie Summerow Dumas said the draft MOU contains many substantive commitments and asked whether the team had reviewed and approved the language; staff replied that the team had reviewed and was prepared to execute the MOU if the board approved it. Commissioner Dumas requested the prosecutor’s office add an “approved as to content” signoff in addition to the statutory “approved as to form.” Co-counsel Roger Friedman confirmed the office can include content approval if the board wants it.
Commissioner Alicia Reece (speaking at length) expressed strong reservations about advancing county dollars before a new lease is finalized. Reece recounted past controversies over stadium deals, questioned whether the team had fully partnered with other Ohio jurisdictions on parallel state requests and asked for a firm deadline for a finalized lease. “If this thing ain’t helping me get no lease I ain’t going with it,” Reece said.
Other board members and staff emphasized timing constraints tied to available NFL loan dollars and the state budget process, and said the MOU includes a “safety valve” allowing either party to reduce or terminate commitments if a comprehensive agreement is not reached.
After extended discussion the board agreed to continue the conversation and scheduled the MOU for possible action at the next meeting, with no MOU vote taken on April 20. The meeting ended after a routine motion to adjourn passed unanimously.
Why it matters: The MOU would allow procurement and limited purchases now to avoid delays in 2026 construction, but commissioners raised concerns about committing county funds before a new lease is signed and voiced a desire for clearer legal signoffs and calendarized updates as negotiations proceed.
