With the national mood decidedly against using taxpayer money to pay for sports venues, the powers-that-be in Hamilton County, Ohio are considering the possibility of flexing some muscle as to cash supposedly owed to the Bengals.
As explained by Amanda Seitz of WCPO.com, the lease between the team and the county requires the county to pay for certain game-day expenses in the final nine years of the arrangement. The county isn’t inclined to pay what would amount to $2.67 million.
“I think they know it’s coming,” Hamilton County Commission president Todd Portune told WCPO regarding the fact that the payment won’t be.
“[The Bengals] said, ‘We want [the payment],’” Portune said. “We’ve said, ‘We have this old opinion from the prosecutor that says it’s illegal.’”
Fortune didn’t explain the basis for the belief that the term in the deal is illegal, and the dispute ultimately could be headed for court. For now, it’s clear that the county would like to negotiate the lease with the Bengals, which runs through 2026.