A new survey of Cuyahoga County residents is asking if they would support extending the county’s tax on alcohol and tobacco to pay for more stadium upgrades.
Cleveland’s three major sports teams rely on the county’s tax on alcohol and tobacco to help maintain their publicly owned sports facilities: Rocket Arena, Progressive Field and Huntington Bank Field.
But as Signal Cleveland has chronicled, the pool of money raised by the so-called “sin tax” is drying up. It also doesn’t generate enough money for the repairs that the city and county are required to cover per their leases with the teams.
So, it’s no surprise that the teams and government leaders might be interested in alternative sources of funding for repairs or in extending the sin tax, which is set to expire in 2034.
Complicating all this is the Browns’ desire to build a new enclosed football stadium in Brook Park. The team is seeking public funds equivalent to half the cost. It’s financing plan does not rely on any sin tax money in the future.
The online survey asks residents if they would support a 10-year extension of the sin tax and increasing the tax on cigarettes from 50 cents a pack to $1.50 and increasing the cost of beer by about 5 cents.
It also asks people to respond to a series of statements on a scale ranging from “strongly oppose” to “strongly support” or “not at all convincing” to “very convincing.” Typically, this format is designed to test potential messaging in a future campaign.
The survey also asks residents if they think money generated through a sin tax should only be spent on Cleveland teams playing in the city, which is an obvious question about the Browns’ potential move.
Who is behind the poll?
Nobody is claiming credit for the poll. The Cavs offered a statement from Gateway, the nonprofit that oversees how the current sin tax money is spent on the facilities.
“We are working alongside a broad and growing coalition of civic, business, labor, and community leaders who understand the critical role publicly-owned sports facilities play in the economic vitality of Cleveland,” the statement reads.
Voters originally passed the sin tax in 1990 to pay the construction debt for the arena and ballpark, renewing the tax in 1995 to include the future Browns Stadium in the deal. Voters again re-upped the tax in 2014 to pay for repairs at the three facilities. The tax raises about $14 million a year, which is split equally among the teams.
City and county leaders say they want to keep the Browns downtown and maximize the public investments already made in sports facilities and surrounding infrastructure. The Browns argue the team and the region will benefit more by building an enclosed stadium and related retail development.
What the poll asks
Here are some of the poll questions:
- What is your opinion of the Browns?
- What is your opinion of Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne?
- What is your opinion of the Greater Cleveland Partnership?
- As you know the Cleveland Browns are pursuing plans to construct a new football stadium in Brook Park and move the Browns to the suburbs. Based on what you know about these plans do you support or oppose the Browns moving to Brook Park?
- Requiring that funds raised from this measure only be spent on existing professional sports venues located within the City of Cleveland. Do you support or oppose that item?
- The area around Progressive [Field] and Rocket Arena used to be one of the most blighted and dangerous areas of Cleveland. But now it’s a thriving destination for residents and visitors. We should continue to invest in the area to ensure it remains safe and vibrant for years to come. How convincing is that statement as a reason to vote for the proposed measure?
- Paying five cents on a beer is a small price to pay to keep our publicly owned stadiums in good shape and ensure that our teams stay in Cleveland long-term. How convincing is that statement?
- In order to receive any taxpayer funds teams who use our publicly owned stadiums are required to stay in their stadium leases or extend their leases and to spend their own money on repairs and maintenance. The Cavaliers and Guardians have already spent more than $160 million of their own money on repairs.
