Aluotto told the Business Courier that the county declined that deal, in part, because it was far too much money for too short of a lease term. The county would have to take on debt that would not be repaid until well after an extended lease expired. The current lease expires in 2026, although the team has the option to extend it five times by a period of two years, with notice on a first extension due in 2025.

But in their public comments, commissioners have indicated they do not want Hamilton County taxpayers footing more than 80% of the construction costs as they did in the 1990s. Reece frequently says that, including the operating and maintenance costs the county has incurred over the past quarter century, local taxpayers’ share of the costs are 94%, while they get none of the profits.

Full article available with a library card on chpl.org