Ohio legislators considering passing both Browns stadium subsidy plans at once, maybe

When last we left off with the great Cleveland Browns stadium shakedown, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine had had his plan to spend $600 million in new sports gambling taxes on a stadium shot down by the state legislature, which instead wanted to spend $600 million in existing sales, income, and other taxes on a stadium, but DeWine was still considering whether to veto that. Can’t we all just get along?

At last, a compromise solution of sorts seems to be in the works, courtesy of several Republican state senators, who say they’re preparing a kind of hybrid of the two plans: State Sen. Lou Blessing has introduced a bill to create a permanent fund for stadium projects and youth sports using increased gambling taxes, but maybe with the omni-TIF stadium district still in place, too? It’s all very muddled, even before you get to this:

While [state Sen. Lou] Blessing said he wasn’t sure whether either of his budget amendments would be accepted, he said he believes that his fellow senators are “amenable” to the governor’s assertion that they need to find a long-term solution to funding stadium projects in Ohio.

Otherwise, he said, if the Browns and/or Bengals get state assistance, it will open the floodgates for other pro sports teams in the state to come asking for help with their own stadium projects.

Right, can’t have every team owner in the state demanding their own public stadium funding, better head that off by, uh, creating permanent stadium funding that any team owner can tap into, wait, not sure we thought this through all the way…

From the sound of things, state senators are still trying to figure out exactly what they’ll support, which undoubtedly will rely on what the governor will support, which in turn will likely rely on what the governor can get the legislature to approve. It’s all a big tangled mess of political gamesmanship, but when all the elected officials in the state want to give money to the local sports billionaire but just can’t agree on which pot of money to use, there’s generally a compromise close at hand. Still not sure what would then happen with the $600 million that Cuyahoga County and the city of Brook Park would be expected to come up with, given that one seems uninterested in helping the team move out of Cleveland proper and the other has a tax base the size of a thimble, but plenty of time to cross those bridges once they come to them.