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County staff presents Paycor Stadium renovation framework; commissioners press for lease changes
Summary
County staff gave a public update Jan. 21 on a renovation framework for Paycor Stadium and ongoing talks with the Cincinnati Bengals. Staff said the county wants a new long‑term market lease and a prioritized renovation plan; commissioners emphasized the lease’s existing terms and taxpayer protections.
Jeff Alluto, county staff lead on stadium matters, provided an update Jan. 21 on discussions with the Cincinnati Bengals about renovating Paycor Stadium and negotiating a new long‑term lease.
Alluto said the current lease expires in 2026 and that the team, under the existing agreement, can unilaterally extend the lease by two years up to five times; the team must indicate its intent to extend by June of this year. He said the county delivered a framework to the team on Sept. 17, 2024, that sets high‑level principles for a renovation and for a new long‑term lease, and that discussions resumed after the NFL season. “This is not a term sheet,” Alluto told the commission, stressing the framework is a conceptual guide for what a comprehensive renovation and lease should cover.
Alluto said the framework uses the previously delivered master plan as an initial basis and seeks to align renovation scope and phasing with joint priorities. He described renovation objectives including improving safety and accessibility, enhancing patron circulation and sightlines, increasing year‑round public programming, and integrating the stadium with the riverfront and downtown. He said the master plan vision delivered last year totaled roughly $1.25 billion and that the county and team should now refine and scale that vision based on priorities and available funding.
On funding, Alluto said the framework anticipates “fair and equitable contributions from the county, the team, the NFL, the state of Ohio, and other sources,” and that the county’s expected source is the half‑percent sales tax that was passed for the initial stadium renovation. He also said there are ongoing high‑level meetings between county staff and the team and that additional discussions on scope, funding and lease terms are expected in the coming weeks.
Several commissioners pressed for a sharper focus on the lease terms. Commissioner Reese described the existing lease as “upside down,” criticized provisions that she said place utilities and tax risk on the county and give the team control over stadium advertising and naming rights, and urged the county to negotiate a market lease that protects taxpayers. Reese said the county previously provided a framework and urged public transparency; she reiterated that, in her view, priorities from county residents include keeping the team, getting a fair market lease, modernizing the stadium and avoiding new taxes.
Commissioner Samarra Dumas and others said they support renegotiating the lopsided elements of the existing document and emphasized that lease and renovation discussions must proceed together. The county confirmed the team has the framework and that staff will continue joint work on prioritized scopes, budgets and associated lease negotiations.
Alluto and commissioners said next steps include continued staff‑to‑team meetings to refine priorities and scope, concurrent work on lease terms and public reporting back to the commission at appropriate milestones. No final lease or renovation approval was made Jan. 21.
