A closer reading of Gov. Hochul’s billion-dollar election-year giveaway to her beloved Buffalo Bills shows the deal is even worse than we thought. The memorandum of understanding signed by New York State, Erie County and the Bills lays out in section after section state taxpayers being clipped, blocked, blitzed and sacked. Hochul more than fumbled, she committed an illegal motion, being offsides by huddling with the Bills against her own team, the taxpayers.
The NFL rulebook is long and we could go on with puns of a turnover, a penalty and being picked off, but the specifics are what damns this rotten deal.
The state will pay $600 million and Erie County another $250 million for construction of a $1.4 billion new home for the Bills next to their current field in the Buffalo suburbs. But as Eric County Executive Mark Poloncarz promises that there will be no increase in property taxes, and since the county cannot otherwise print or raise money, it’s pretty likely that the funds will be coming from Albany (translation: state taxpayers). On top of that, there’s the $280 million that the public must put up for upkeep of the new stadium, which will be owned by New York State.
Although the de jure owner, the state as landlord gets just about zero from its asset. The Bills pocket the money from the naming rights, concessions, display ads at the stadium, sales or rental of the luxury boxes, TV broadcast money, even the cash from the gameday parking. New York is allowed to hold “State Events” at the stadium. Hochul suggests it could be a vaccine site in a future pandemic. Thanks.
Outside of the short NFL season, the Bills also keep the gate from any concerts or monster truck rallies. Erie County, which owns the current stadium, will be freed from upkeep on that aging facility. Says Poloncarz, “Erie County will no longer be in the football business.” No, but New York State will be, in a very bad way.
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