The Browns have said the lockout won’t cause them to cut the salaries of their employees. But the lockout is causing the Browns to ask the county for a deal on parking spaces the team has leased.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that the Browns want taxpayers to cut them a break on thousands of parking spaces leased from the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority, saying the lockout could result in games being canceled and the spaces being unused on game days.
Port Authority Board member Richard Knoth, however, said that if the Browns can’t use the spaces they’ve leased, that’s the Browns’ problem.
“It’s setting a bad precedent, pro-rating and discounting parking rates because they’re not doing so well,” Knoth said.
The seven-member Port Authority Board deadlocked 3-3 with one member absent on the vote, which means the issue will come up again at its next meeting, on July 20.
At least, the current plan is to address the issue at the next meeting. We’d like to think there’s a possibility that the lockout will be over by the next meeting, and the Browns’ request will be moot.