Berea council refers Cleveland Browns development agreements to committee after councilors outline tax and land terms

The Berea City Council on Feb. 3 substituted two ordinances tied to the proposed District 46 development by the Cleveland Browns and then voted unanimously to refer both amended measures to a coordinating-committee work session on Feb. 19 at 6 p.m.

The legislation before council — identified in the meeting as ordinance 10-5a and ordinance 10-6a — updates previously circulated drafts and, according to the council discussion, codifies nine negotiated points covering taxes, a lease extension and land sale. Council members and city attorneys said the Browns’ and the city’s attorneys worked over recent months to resolve language and that the substituted drafts reflect those negotiations.

Council members and city staff described the items that appear across the two ordinances: the city will not take a share of several new taxes in the development (a new payroll tax, admissions tax and bed tax) for a limited period; the city would sell specified city-owned land for $1 million; the city would receive up to $1 million in permit fees; the city would retain new residential income tax…