A trio of Ohio House Democrats said there are "significant, unresolved fiscal questions" about a proposal for state funding for a domed stadium for the Cleveland Browns in Brook Park. Their letter to Republican leaders comes as an amendment has been drafted to add a $600 million bond package for the project into the two-year budget.
House Assistant Minority Leader Dontavius Jarrells (D-Columbus) and Reps. Terrence Upchurch (D-Cleveland) and Dani Isaacsohn (D-Cincinnati) said in a letter they want more information about the financial projections behind the Haslam Sports Group’s request for the state’s portion of the $3.4 billion overall project – which would cost the state nearly a billion dollars over 30 years.
Draft legislation to add that to the upcoming House version of the budget was obtained this weekend by the Statehouse News Bureau. Rep. David Thomas (R-Jefferson) wrote on X that he submitted the amendment.
Jarrells is the ranking member of the House Arts, Athletics and Tourism Committee, which heard a presentation from the Haslam Sports Group March 11 on project and the request for the bond proposal to fund it. Upchurch and Isaacsohn are also on that committee.
"Although the media has reported on a draft amendment related to the proposal, the language has not yet been widely circulated among members for review. To date, we have only seen broad concepts rather than a specific legislative framework," the three wrote in their letter. "Before we consider including this in the state operating budget, we must have the opportunity to carefully review the legislative language and hear from additional witnesses to fully understand the implications for taxpayers. A proposal of this magnitude should not be rushed or inserted as an amendment to a larger budget bill without the necessary due diligence. We have a responsibility to our taxpayers to ensure transparency and fiscal responsibility in this process."
The Democrats wrote that they want additional hearings to invite state officials and the consultants who prepared the financial analysis to share testimony and answer questions, and for the Legislative Service Commission to provide a formal fiscal review.
Thomas is also on the House Arts, Athletics and Tourism Committee with the three Democrats who wrote the letter. He said at first he was "very much against" the Haslam Sports Group's proposal, but said with the sales and income tax generated by the project, "to me, this actually makes a lot of sense."
When asked about the breakdown of the tax revenue on "The State of Ohio just before the draft legislation was obtained, Thomas said he had "not seen the exact mix of their estimate". But he added: "I'm sure they would be able to provide it. But that's kind of one of the interesting things too, is we're learning things obviously as we go. But the overall aspect of comparing the current tax revenue at the stadium versus something that would be much bigger. I'm pretty confident in those comparisons.”
But Upchurch said he was "absolutely concerned" about the projections.
"There's a lot of unanswered questions and a lot of concerns that I have about this particular decision. And I think that this is something that we don't need to fast track," Upchurch said. "It does seem as if this train has left the station right now. How far down the track it is, that's yet to be seen."
The draft amendment would also eliminate a sports facilities fund proposed by Gov. Mike DeWine, paid for by doubling the 20% tax on sports gambling operators. When asked Wednesday if he would veto the amendment if it's added to the budget, DeWine declined to say he would or he wouldn't.
“We haven't seen the House budget yet, let alone the Senate. And then there's a thing called a conference committee. And then there's some discussions that might occur between the speaker and the Senate president and the governor," DeWine said. "We've got a long way to go.”
Majority House Republicans are set to unveil their budget on Tuesday. House Finance Chair Brian Stewart has said decisions are continuing to be made on what's in the budget and what's out.
