CINCINNATI (Cincinnati Business Courier) – For nearly three decades, the Cincinnati Bengals, Hamilton County and the public have argued over whether the team’s 1997 stadium lease was too generous or just right for taxpayers.
As negotiations between county officials and the team face a key June 30 deadline, what may matter more is whether the county and the team can strike an agreement more akin to what other smaller cities have agreed to in the past half decade, one that keeps the National Football League and the international exposure it brings in the region but also is fair to taxpayers in the present day. If no deal is struck by then, the Bengals can unilaterally extend the current lease for two years, something the county wants to avoid.
The words used most often by county officials to describe the deal they are looking for is “market rate.”
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