While reimbursing the high cost of building this sports dome, Ohio could not use these funds for other purposes, such as better funding for public schools.
Browns fans react to New Stadium, moving to Brook Park
Fans gave their reactions after the Jimmy and Dee Haslam team owners announced that Cleveland’s Browns move to Brook Park to build a new Dome stadium.
An unprecedented plan to issue $ 600 million in state bonds to help build a dome stadium For NFL billionaires Cleveland Browns feels as bad as the team’s field performance.
We do not oppose state support for a new Browns stadium and see an all-season installation like a potential game changer for the northeast of Ohio. Whether the stadium belongs to the suburbs of Brook Park or the city center of Cleveland is for the owners of Browns, Dee and Jimmy Haslam and the good inhabitants of the northeast of Ohio to decide.
But the president of the House Matt Huffman and his Republican colleagues are wrong to risk $ 600 million more interest in one of the many professional teams in Ohio, while ignoring Help teams through Ohio.
The Browns want to remove their stadium by the 26 -year -old lake paid by taxpayers.
At the same time, their rivals in Cincinnati work on an agreement for $ 1.25 billion in renovations at the 25 -year -old Paycor stadium, the house belonging to the taxpayers of Bengals. There are also discussions on the replacement of the old arena in downtown Cincinnati, which hosts hockey of minor leagues.
Here in Columbus, Nationwide Arena, the 25 -year -old House of the NHL Jacques Bleues ColumbusThe Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority, says that its arena needs $ 170 million for major improvements and repairs, including roof and CVC equipment. The private arena was Bought by taxpayers in 2012 To facilitate financial pressures on Blue Jackets, with casino taxes affected to help cover costs.
Down The Street stands Lower.com Field, the 4 -year -old Columbus crew house, a football team also owned by Haslams. The installation of $ 314 million, built after the success of the community “Save the Crew” movement, belongs to the Confluence Community Authority, a special district governed by the city of Columbus and the county of Franklin.
The crew stadium was made possible with $ 314 million from haslams and more than $ 100 million in the stadium by the city, the county of Franklin and the State. The team $ 10 per year lease Allows it to buy the stadium for 30% of its fair market value in 2047.
In short, the haslams paid the crew stadium, while various governments have helped make it feasible and desirable.
Haslams now want a better deal in Cleveland and are counting on the legislators with whom they argued Important financial donations To give them $ 600 million and $ 400 million in interest.
What the Browns want
The dome offered between Cleveland Hopkins airport and Interstate 71 would cost $ 2.4 billion on the basis of projections made before recent prices and economic uncertainty. It would include 65,000 seats with the potential to host a super bowl and other major interior sporting events in Ohio.
Haslams want to pay half or 1.2 billion dollars, the rest from government sources, including $ 600 million in Ohio and $ 600 million in a myriad of taxes in northeast Ohio, including rental cars and other tourist activities. There is a widespread opposition to the local part of the plan, notably of the management of the County Cuyahoga, Chris Ronayne.
Funds to reimburse the share of the State would come from future taxes on income, sales and commercial activities intended for the stadium development zone, which the Browns project to $ 2.9 billion on a 30 -year lease, Cleveland.com reported. The sales tax is expected to generate $ 1.42 billion, while income tax that some Republicans want to cut $ 1.35 billion.
There is no way of knowing whether these high projections will be accurate even when taxing professional athletes, but we have noticed similar projections in the past.
While reimbursing $ 600 million, Ohio could not use these funds for other purposes, such as better funding for public schools.
On their credit, the haslam have launched an initial investment of $ 38 million planned to reach $ 150 million to protect the state against losses. They also undertook to cover all cost beings.
Supporters argue that the potential economic advantages of the new stadium eclipse what the current Browns stadium would produce, even with renovations, which makes Ohio much more than $ 600 million.
Dewine’s plan could benefit all teams
Dewine wants to support all the needs of Ohio sports facilities by doubling the tax that sports games pay on their loser of sports fans.
This would allow the government of the State to play a role in supporting sports franchises everywhere while ensuring that it can finance essential government services. The burden of costs would fall to companies outside the state which already ransals great profits on the volunteer bets of the Ohioans.
“Ohio citizens give millions of dollars every day to sports game companies,” said Dewine in February. “It’s time for us to increase the tax on them so that we can do things to help Ohioans.”
But the version of the Ohio House of the State Budget did not include Dewine’s proposals, choosing to focus only on the Browns proposal.
“The reality is that we cannot afford … to use general funds to rehabilitate stadiums or to build new sports stages. We do not have the money to do so,” said Dewine on Tuesday, noting competing priorities for education, mental health and the fight against drug addiction among others.
Dewine’s higher tax would generate around $ 130 to 180 million a year, which should be enough to help each establishment and, when the governor presented, help children participate in sports.
We prefer Dewine’s proposal because she earns income from sports fans without compromising the funds necessary for basic services.
Justified public funding at a point
We are aware that many people consider public investments in arenas and stages as a waste, with little chance of recovering the investments of taxpayers while team owners are enriched. If the haslams obtain this dome and later sell the Browns, their profit would probably be amazing, given the sales of recent teams.
A solid file can be made to force the haslam or any owner to spend their own money under construction while using government funds to cover other infrastructure costs. Call this the crew model, even if the Dewine sports betting tax is at stake.
Whatever the way the situation of the browns takes place, it is undeniable that a certain level of public support is worth it.
Just look at the District of Columbus Arena, once an area in decomposition known for a deterioration of the old prison. In addition to the Blue Jackets, the Clippers and the crew, the Arena district has become at home for More than 75 companies, at least 17,000 workers in the region and numerous apartments and condos. We are now a big professional sports city, a status that facilitates the growth and landing jobs of our community such as Intel and Andundil.
We are not against the Browns dome and the positive redevelopment it could bring. We require a solution focused on help from all Ohio teams to win on and off the field.
This editorial was written by the editor -in -chief of Dispatch, Michael Sherer, on behalf of the editorial committee of The distribution of Columbus. Editorials are factual assessments of important questions for the communities we serve. It is not the opinions of our members of the declaration staff, which aim at neutrality in their reports.