By Billy Cunningham, the Great American and some exciting news this morning came out to Hamny County Commission's office headed up by Didney's Treehouse and about a agreement with the Bengals.
The Memoran of understanding has been signed.
You may know the last few weeks I had on Matt Huffman, Speaker of the House, loan with others who are saying, well, we're not going to move until we see if the county and the Bengals actually have a deal. Joining you and I now is Denise street House, Hamny County Commissioner. Denise, can you tell the American people this afternoon kind of the memo of understanding and what it means for the Bengals to taxpayers and the American people kind of give us an overview.
So, the memorandum understanding is about a one hundred and twenty million dollar investment between the team and the NFL into the county's asset, which is the stadium. The county is in for some of that as well, but we're going to do some of the improvements that have been identified through this master plan. You know, it's about elevators and escalators and plazas and seats and all the things
that we need to do. But for the first time ever, the NFL is participating in that financial stack and the team is in substantially too. So it's a good day for the tax players because we're leveraging our money with the NFL and the team to get stuff done in that stadium.
Now, how does this relate to the extension of the lease or a new lease, Because the last time I had you on about a week or ten days ago, you said it would be a downer if somehow the Bangals would exercise the two year option in a month or two, that would be a downer.
How does that impact that extension?
It doesn't. I mean, the least extension that we were talking about is we're ongoing negotiations about that. We're at the table with the team. But this, I mean, if you look at it on its face, it's certainly a good sign that they are using their money in the NFL's money to do these improvements. So they got this money a while back, we need to move on it to make sure we can get it done by next year. And so that is the timing element here. But it's
really important. It's part of the larger stack of projects, and so it's important that we leverage the NFL and the team's money to get this stuff done. You mentioned something else, and I want to dig in just a tiny bit about the process at the state level, because I've been asked, well, you know you didn't get in the budget. Well, let me correct that and say we did get in the budget. It was the governor's version of the budget where he put in the gaming fee
for sports facilities. So that was us in the budget. It went to the House. The House took that out of the budget and put something different in for the Haslams. And now we're over on the Senate side negotiating the same thing. And so I don't know what's going to come out of the Senate, but I think it will be different from the Governor's version or the House's version.
When I had on Matt Hoffman, he said that the Haslam deal was different because in the Haslam Browns deal, it's brand new money in some cornfield in southern Calahooga County, like two and a half three billion. The Bengalo deal was different because it's an upgradest renovation that may generate a little bit of additional income at Huffman is saying that the taxpayer can't be on the hook for any of these improvements unless the plan has shown that it's
going to break even. So is the news Drea House saying that the plan is going to break even to the taxpayer.
Well, listen, I don't want to be penalized because we did twenty years ago what Cyahoga is doing now. I mean, that's that's not fair. And so you know, for the and by the way, Cyahoga County and the City of Cleveland are not on board with the Haslem deal. So I just want to be really clear that the team that Cincinnati Bengals and the county commissioners are on the same page. That is not the case in northern Ohio. And I just want to point that out because I
think it's important. But why would you know, we kick off forty million dollars for the state every year on the banks and that's the Bengals, it's the Reds, it's the collective. But why should we be penalized for that when it comes to you know, funding these assets that have benefited the state all these years. I mean, that's just not right. And so the ski that they've come up with for the Hansloms doesn't fit what we're doing here in Hamilton County. And that's what we've said to
the speaker. I mean he heard us loud and clear. And so we're still, you know, working with the state to try to come up with something that works for everybody.
Is this contingent?
Is this one hundred and eighty four million, two thirds from the Bengals slash NFL about and one third from the Hamilton County? Is this contingent on a long term, long term deal?
Are you talking about the MoU? Are you talking about the large term?
Yeah, heard the MoU.
The one hundred and eighty four million announced more or less today, say about one twenty from the Bengals, about sixty four.
From the county. Is that contingent on signing a long term deal? Or is that? Is that going to proceed?
Nonetheless, it is proceeding now. But if we don't come to an agreement on a long term lease, then we can claw back and we can drop out of this deal that we just made. So we've got an hour clause in there. But you know, as you know, Lily, I'm an optimist and so I shouldn't be. And so right now we've been meeting with the Bengals. We're working this together. We're working in collaboration on this MU and also at the state level, and so you know, so far,
so good. But we do have a provision in here that we can get out of it if need be.
Oh yeah, And so the Bengals fans to show up in August for a preseason game or September, that's only about five six months away. Will anything be seen at that point?
Well, we're always doing renovations, but these projects that are in here, the reason we had to do it this week or next it's actually going to be next week is that there's so much lead time because of the nature of the projects. And so these projects are going to go online in twenty twenty.
Six, twenty twenty six, waiting are you twenty twenty six, which you know? Are you optimistic that the Bengals were not exercised a two year but rather seek long term deal. You're at the table, You're meeting with Katie and Troy, and I guess Mike Brown and others, the lawyers et cetera and Gableman. Are you optimistic the Bengals want to do a long term deal and not a stop gap.
I am hopeful that we will come to a long term deal by the end of the deadline. That's what I'm now. They can exercise the extension of the current LEAs that is not good for the county or the taxpayers, and so I'm hopeful that we don't get to that point, but rather have a long term deal instead.
When I spoke to you about ten days ago, you kind of said one third from the county, one third from the state, one third from the Bengal slash NFL. Is that still there? Because I sent on to Matt Huffin, by the way, the stories, and I'm sure you're in contact with him, But nonetheless, is that still the deal from your mind? One third state, one third Bengals, one third county.
So we've always talked about this as a third to third a third. I mean, it's fluid, a little fluid. I mean, don't hold me to the exact numbers, but yeah, I mean, I think that's the idea, that it's a stack that works for the taxpayers and works to make sure that facility is upgraded to the level we need it to be because it's not only about the games. It's about concerts and football games, high school football games
and other events and making that thing more accessible. And so it's a good you know, it's it's it's something we need to do for the general public. But yeah, we've always talked about this in the third of thirty third, and that's what we're shooting for.
The first phase is eight thirty renovation for the pay Corps, with three to four phases rolling out through twenty twenty nine. Anticipated a cost of a two hundred and ten million per phase. So when you talk about this phase in the MoU, this is one of four phases. Is that correct?
Yeah, that's right, and a good point that this is not money that's utilized all in one year. I mean, we can't. We don't have capacity to do that, and so it rolls out over five years or so, and so it's not and this is important to know about the state. It's not like we're asked in the state, hey, give us all of that money upfront to participate in this financial sect. It's a burn, right, it goes over a few years, and so yeah, that's the nature of what we're looking for here.
Lastly, are you working toward the idea that the county will control the events more than the Bengals with the veto power. Will that veto power be gone?
We are looking to get something in the new lease that gives us the ability to bring more events into that stadium to the benefit of the taxpayers. We're not doing it now, and we need to do it.
And when will you sign the deal the MoU When will that be done?
We're shooting for next Tuesday.
Next Tuesday? All right, Denise, congratulations. We think is it premature to say congratulations?
I want to say, Willie, this is a new look. We've never had the NFL give us any money for our stadium before, and the team's participating in a big way here, So yeah, I think it's good news.
All right, Denise Dreehouse, thank you very much.
I know you're in meetings, but thanks for coming on this afternoon of the Bill Cunningham Show.
Denise, thank you very much. Thanks really God Bush, let's continue with more.
Well, there it is, And you might recall when I had on Madam Adam Byrd. Sloaney had on Senator Blessing, then I had on the Speaker of the House. Then I had on the governor and this is fluid. Underline the word fluid, because in the governor's budget submitted to the House there was money for the Bengals and the House because of the increase in the so called syntaxes, the House took out the syntaxes. They're not in the business of increasing taxes and took out the Bengals deal.
Matt Huffman was with you and I about a week ago in which he said, we're not going to put money into a deal unless the taxpayer breaks even. And based upon that more discussions are being held. And I guess then each tree Houses point is this that the Bengals deal was is fresh money, but don't hold out against Hamilety County be goes twenty five years ago, this would have been a fresh deal.
Now this stadium needs to be upgraded.
This is one hundred and eighty four million dollars one of four phases. And in the first phase NFL and the Bengals are putting up one hundred and twenty million and the county's putting up sixty four that's about two thirds on the Bengals and one third in the county.
Is that good news? Many people think so.
And the Bengals and the NFL and the Hamlet County and the city wants the state lawmakers to treat the Bengals in the city in an equitable and fair fashion compared to the compared to the Browns and Jimmy Hanslam. And you know, up to this point, we've not had much sway over Columbus because they don't think Cincinnati is part of the state. Almost and now it's just like Covington doesn't act as if Frankfort thinks they're part of Kentucky. But will continue. This is a positive. So much negativity
running around, this is a positive. I'll let's continue with more. Bill Cunningham seven hundred WLW