CINCINNATI — Hamilton County commissioners are scheduled to vote next week to raise the county's hotel tax by 1%, but how commissioners want to use those additional funds might vary.
The increase, which would bump the tax up from 6.5% to 7.5%, was originally intended to support renovations to the Duke Energy Convention Center. Now, Hamilton County Commission President Alicia Reese has floated the idea of spending a portion of that to instead pay for a new stadium for the Cincinnati Bengals.
"I want to be clear before I vote, I want to know all the options for the 1%," said Reece. "We're waiting on a legal opinion about the hotel. We could take half of it to go to the hotel and half toward the stadium. My questions are, I want all options before I vote on the 1%."
She said the idea to use a portion of that tax increase for a stadium came from Nashville, where they've used a similar tax increase to build the Tennessee Titans' new stadium.
Earlier this week, Reece also asked Jeff Alutto, county administrator, whether the 1% tax increase could be focused on a new, 800-room headquarters hotel that could replace the Millennium Hotel, which was torn down in 2021.
Upgrades have been planned for Paycor Stadium for over a year; a fully fledged master plan for what those upgrades could look like was forecast to be released this year, but has still not seen the light of day.
The county and the Bengals hired Los Angeles-based architecture and design firm Gensler Sports to evaluate the stadium. The firm released a capital assessment report in April 2022, recommending $493.7 million in basic repairs to the aging structure such as fixing steel rails and ramps, replacing seats and upgrading electric and plumbing systems.
That number does not include the potential $200 to $300 million more for future upgrades like luxury lounges, high-end food or drink and new signs and scoreboards.
WCPO obtained an early version of the master plan in August 2022. It included standing-room-only decks and drink rails, a live sports betting club, a nightclub, a skybridge to connect upper concourses, field goal and end zone cameras and changes to seating including banquettes.
However, plans to instead scrap Paycor Stadium as the home of the Bengals in lieu of a new stadium have also surfaced and county commissioners said earlier this year that those ideas aren't completely out of the question. Commissioners asked in April for the master plan to include options for a new stadium as well as for renovations to the current stadium so they can see costs for both options.
There has also been debate over whether Paycor Stadium can be renovated to include a domed top, which would allow Hamilton County to have more concerts and events, thus bringing in more revenue.
On the other side of that argument, organizations in Cincinnati have also been looking for ways to build an entirely new arena that could become an alternative to Heritage Bank Center, rather than a new Paycor Stadium.
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