The move comes as the House approved $600 million for the Cleveland Browns

Following the passage of a new state budget in the Ohio state House of Representatives, the Cincinnati Bengals and Hamilton County are asking the state for $350 million to help renovate Paycor Stadium, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer. The move comes as the House approved $600 million in state-issued bonds for the Cleveland Browns’ new stadium in Brook Park.  

The team asked for the money to assist in renovating the team’s home stadium, which is expected to cost $830 million. The plan would include a larger scoreboard behind the north end zone, additional seating and improved walkways for pedestrians. Despite this suggestion, Hamilton County and the Bengals haven’t proposed a source for the state to pay for these additional funds.  

The new request from the team and the county comes as many saw the recent budget as a snub toward the Bengals. The original proposed amendment included a new state incentive program for so-called “transformational” mixed-use districts anchored by major sports facilities would be introduced. However, it limited incentives to counties home to over 1 million people. Hamilton County has a population of 850,000, meaning the Bengals would not benefit from this program.  

The new request from the Bengals suggests a positive step between the team and the county, who have been working out an extension of the team’s stadium lease, which is due to expire at the end of June. Following a standstill in working out the agreement, Katie Blackburn , executive vice president and daughter of owner Mike Brown, said at the recent NFL league meeting, “We could, I guess, go wherever we wanted after this year,” referencing the team’s lease, which expires at the end of June.