CLEVELAND — Cuyahoga County is throwing its support behind the city of Cleveland as the fight to keep the Browns stadium on the city’s lakefront continues.  

What You Need To Know

  • Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne and County Council President Pernel Jones said they will not commit county money to the plan to build a new, $2.4 billion stadium with a ceiling in Brook Park

  • This comes after Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam consider a move to Brook Park, recently releasing a letter to fans that highlights what that location could offer

  • In a letter to the Haslam’s over the weekend, the county said the stadium in Brook Park “does not make fiscal sense for Cuyahoga County residents and taxpayers"

  • Ronayne said keeping the stadium in Cleveland is in the county’s best interest for two reasons: one, it would protect and build on the investments the county has made in revitalizing downtown over the past decade, and two, the Haslam’s are asking for too much public support for the Brook Park project, creating an unacceptable risk to the county’s general fund

Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam are considering a move to Brook Park, recently releasing a letter to fans that highlights what that location could offer.

In response, county leaders held a press conference Monday, raising concerns about how the Brook Park project would be funded.

“We believe, after analysis of this proposal at Brook Park, that this dog doesn’t hunt,” Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne said. “We believe, after seeing their numbers and projections, we do not believe the financial modeling that’s been presented to us works for our taxpayers and residents.”

Ronayne and Cuyahoga County Council President Pernel Jones said they will not commit county money to the plan to build a new, $2.4 billion stadium with a ceiling in Brook Park.

In a letter to the Haslam’s over the weekend, the county said the stadium in Brook Park “does not make fiscal sense for Cuyahoga County residents and taxpayers.”

Ronayne said keeping the stadium in Cleveland is in the county’s best interest for two reasons: one, it would protect and build on the investments the county has made in revitalizing downtown over the past decade.

And two, the Haslam’s are asking for too much public support for the Brook Park project, creating an unacceptable risk to the county’s general fund. 

“They’re essentially making projections that they’re asking the county to take the risk on and to back the bonds on,” Ronayne said. “If they fail, we fail, and we’ve not looking forward to that, we can’t do that. We can’t put the treasury or the taxpayer at risk.”

The Browns have said they are looking for the public to cover 50% of the cost of the new stadium, but haven't revealed how they plan to make that happen. 

Ronayne said they’re asking the county and city of Brook Park to contribute a total of $600 million, which county leaders are not comfortable with. 

“They’ve used really round numbers, but those round numbers are big, $1.2 billion in public expectation is a bridge too far,” Ronayne said.

In response to the county’s letter, the Haslam’s released a statement saying this transformational stadium decision will take time and patience. 

The statement reads in part, “we have received the county’s response and are still in the process of gathering information and doing diligence on both paths. It would be short-sighted for Northeast Ohio to rule out any options at this point for a long-term decision of this magnitude.”

Earlier this month, Mayor Justin Bibb publicly released the city’s latest stadium funding plan, which estimates a total renovation of the lakefront stadium at $1 billion, with city covering $461 million.

The Haslam’s responded to that offer last week, seeking more information from the city before making any final decisions. 

Cleveland City Council President Blaine Griffin also released a statement over the weekend, agreeing with county leaders that the stadium must stay downtown to boost the city’s economic future.