When Cuyahoga County voters in 2014 approved extending a cigarette and alcohol surcharge for 20 years to provide $13 million a year to the Cleveland Guardians, Cavaliers, and Browns for stadium and arena repairs and upgrades, they were told it was necessary to keep the teams from breaking their leases and moving elsewhere. (They were also told it would “Keep Cleveland Strong,” via stickers that Guardians stadium ushers had to wear on their uniforms under penalty of firing.)
Unfortunately, Cleveland area residents aren’t sinning like they were projected to, and earlier this year it was reported that Cavs owner Dan Gilbert had been fronting money to pay for such “repairs” as upgraded elevators and escalators and a film on the arena’s new glass wall to keep birds from flying into it, while waiting for tax proceeds to come in. And now the Guardians and Cavs owners and the Gateway Economic Development Corp., the quasi-public agency that owns the sports venues, have asked the city of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County for an extra $40 million to fill in for the missing tax money:
Cleveland’s share of the money would come from the general fund, which covers basic services. The city can afford to pay the $20 million thanks to numerous unfilled vacancies, Finance Director Jim Hartley said…