The nonprofit that owns Progressive Field and Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse want Cleveland and Cuyahoga County to pony up $40 million to cover improvements at the Downtown sports facilities.
Representatives told members of Cleveland's City Council Monday during a caucus meeting that the sin tax, which comes from alcohol and cigarette sales and funds capital improvements for the Guardians and the Cavaliers facilities, isn't enough to cover needed repairs, including to elevators, HVAC systems and concrete.
Some of those repairs, such as seat replacements at the ballpark, are already underway.
“It reeks of a failure that we have a $40 million overage," said Councilmember Kerry McCormack, whose Ward 3 includes Downtown where the teams play. He and other council members said this was their first time hearing from Gateway.
The $20 million ask would come from the city's general fund, which is mostly supported by taxpayer dollars and funds city services. The city's finance director said the funds may be available because city revenues have exceeded projections and expenses are down due to unfilled positions. That means the city may unexpectedly have more than $30 million on hand.
But some council members were wary of allocating those funds to the sports facilities, arguing council needs to have control of the money to deliver city services.
"At times, it gets very frustrating when we know that there are requests that council members have for basic needs of affordable housing, food investment, children's youth sports," Ward 7's Stephanie Howse-Jones told Ideastream. "And to get this sprung on you, and you realize there were a collection of people who knew about this at least a year earlier... It's disheartening."
Other council members were taken aback by the ask, which came on the heels of a months-long negotiation with the Cleveland Browns over stadium funding. Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb announced earlier this month the team intends to vacate the city-owned stadium in favor of a $2.4 billion domed facility in Brook Park and wants public support for half the cost.
“It amazes we always have money to do those things… but when I need things or need things for our neighborhood, we never have money for the community," Ward 5's Richard Starr said. "That frustrates me so much."
Unlike the Browns' current facility, the city does not own Progressive Field or Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. But if the "necessary" capital repairs are not made, representatives from Gateway say they could go into default for violating their leases with the Guardians and Cavaliers.
If that happens, the city could become responsible for Progressive Field and the county could take on Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
"Through a series of legal maneuvering, there is a potential that the city could end up with a stadium with no team on it," City Council Blaine Griffin cautioned his colleagues. "So right now, we need to deal with the immediacy of the $20 million ask."
Gateway said it will also request $20 million from Cuyahoga County.
Legislation has yet to be introduced.
Some council members did not mince words to the sports teams going forward.
“I am not a dumb person. There are people at this table that could’ve been a help," Howse-Jones told the sports teams' representatives. "We lost a year. It is not fair. And it’s flat-out irresponsible. In order to move Cleveland forward, we have to work together. Stop playing the people of Cleveland like they’re dumb. Low income don’t mean low value… I hope moving forward we have a better partnership than this.”
