'Let's Get Down To The Lease' - Hamilton County Commissioner Responds to Bengals' Stadium Comments

 The Bengals and Hamilton County have a pending lease deadline on the future games at Paycor Stadium coming up. Team executive vice president Katie Blackburn acknowledged the lack of movement between the team and Hamilton County at this week's NFL Owner's Meetings, but county representatives say they've been ready to do a deal ahead of the June 30 date.

County Commissioner Alicia Reece wants to give the taxpayers an answer on the future of the team and over $1 billion in proposed stadium upgrades.

"I’m ready to get out the blank piece of paper, get out an ink pen, and let's get down to the lease," Reece said in a public commission meeting this week. "Can we get a deal or can we not get a deal? And I think the taxpayers deserve to know." 

The Bengals have until the end of June to decide on the first of five rolling two-year lease renewals at the stadium, which opened in 2000.

“We've all been working really hard on looking at a lease extension and renovations that might be part of that,” Blackburn said to reporters earlier this week. “And so, there are a lot of great ideas out there. It's just finding a way to bring it all together, make sure everyone's on the same page, and pulling it together. That we seem to have a lot of work to do to make that actually happen.”

Time will tell if that decision is made, along with the sprawling upgrades to both the stadium and surrounding areas.

Hamilton County administrator Jeff Aluoto agreed with Reece at the meeting.

"No one is slow-walking this process," Aluotto chimed in. "We’re moving expeditiously. We’re moving purposefully on this."