Who Should Pay for Improvements at the Buffalo Bills Stadium?

[Fitzpatrick'sbeard]

Should taxpayers be responsible for up to $100 million in improvements to Ralph
Wilson Stadium?

http://www.wgrz.com/news/article/139619/37/Debate--Should-Taxpayers-Pay-For-Improvements-to-Ralph-Wilson-Stadium

[better days]

Re: Who Should Pay for Improvements at the Buffalo Bills Stadium?

Well, if the people of Western NY want the Bills to stay in Buffalo, the answer is YES.

Remodeling the Ralph will not only help keep the Bills in Buffalo, but also help the economy of WNY by providing construction jobs.

IMO it is about time some State tax money was spent in the Buffalo area.

[clumping platelets]

Re: Who Should Pay for Improvements at the Buffalo Bills Stadium?

$1 or $2 surcharge on ALL REGULAR SEASON tickets sold and for ANY other event (i.e. concert) at "The Ralph" for each year of the new lease.

$1 x 70,000 = $70,000 x 7 (8) = $490,000 ($560,000) x 10 yrs = $4.9 to $5.6 million

State and County cover infrastructure improvements (i.e. roads, water, electric, etc) outside the stadium

Bills sell naming rights and use that money for the improvements

That gets you part of the way

[PromoTheRobot]

Re: Who Should Pay for Improvements at the Buffalo Bills Stadium?

It should be a combo of fees on tickets and bonds that use revenues from the stadium improvements. Some state money too since NYS earns income taxes on NFL players...the ONLY NFL team that plays in NYS!!! This will not be a handout, it's an investment that pays off over time.

PTR

[THATHURMANATOR]

Re: Who Should Pay for Improvements at the Buffalo Bills Stadium?

Well, if the people of Western NY want the Bills to stay in Buffalo, the answer is YES.

Remodeling the Ralph will not only help keep the Bills in Buffalo, but also help the economy of WNY by providing construction jobs.

IMO it is about time some State tax money was spent in the Buffalo area.

Exactly.

[tampabay25690]

Re: Who Should Pay for Improvements at the Buffalo Bills Stadium?

Should sell the naming rights to the fans..........

Welcome to the Home of the 12th man Stadium............

[Bill Cody]

Re: Who Should Pay for Improvements at the Buffalo Bills Stadium?

Well, if the people of Western NY want the Bills to stay in Buffalo, the answer is YES.

Remodeling the Ralph will not only help keep the Bills in Buffalo, but also help the economy of WNY by providing construction jobs.

IMO it is about time some State tax money was spent in the Buffalo area.

Good luck with that in this economy. I don't see it. The Bills don't have the leverage that the Jets and Giants did in terms of getting 2 states to compete for us. I could see the state ponying up for some infrastructure money for improvments to roads and such but the building itself? You need a new owner with a vision and a large billfold. Just remember Bob Kraft built his new stadium himself with just some infrastructure money- MA basically gave him the middle finger.

[Mike]

Re: Who Should Pay for Improvements at the Buffalo Bills Stadium?

Quote:
Should taxpayers be responsible for up to $100 million in improvements to Ralph
Wilson Stadium?

Talk about big business getting hand outs. It's ironic that a league & team that can clearly afford it negotiates this with the city & get tax payer $$$. All really big companies get this type of treatment, from straight up $$$ to not having to pay taxes for decades. That's what it takes to attract big business these days, big business runs the word! Anyways, might be time for another big handout to a big business which can clearly afford to pay for it's own stadium renovation.

[ddaryl]

Re: Who Should Pay for Improvements at the Buffalo Bills Stadium?

the Bills generate a ton of revenue, so the tax money is well spent.

I am in favor of a surcharge on tickets and selling naming right as well to offset costs and put some money is a slush fund for the future

[Bill Cody]

Re: Who Should Pay for Improvements at the Buffalo Bills Stadium?

the Bills generate a ton of revenue, so the tax money is well spent.

I am in favor of a surcharge on tickets and selling naming right as well to offset costs and put some money is a slush fund for the future

There already is a slush fund....if you open up RW's billfold moths fly out.

[methos4ever]

Re: Who Should Pay for Improvements at the Buffalo Bills Stadium?

$1 or $2 surcharge on ALL REGULAR SEASON tickets sold and for ANY other event (i.e. concert) at "The Ralph" for each year of the new lease.

$1 x 70,000 = $70,000 x 7 (8) = $490,000 ($560,000) x 10 yrs = $4.9 to $5.6 million

State and County cover infrastructure improvements (i.e. roads, water, electric, etc) outside the stadium

Bills sell naming rights and use that money for the improvements

That gets you part of the way

Remember Clump, Erie County owns the stadium, so if they want to change the naming rights, they can and they'd pocket the cash. Not like they don't need it, but I think that money trail would get awful fishy...

[BLeonard]

Re: Who Should Pay for Improvements at the Buffalo Bills Stadium?

Remember Clump, Erie County owns the stadium, so if they want to change the naming rights, they can and they'd pocket the cash. Not like they don't need it, but I think that money trail would get awful fishy...

Not true...

While Erie county does own the stadium, it is written in the lease that the Bills (Wilson) own the rights to naming the satadium and would gain any monies from selling those rights: http://www.erie.gov/billslease/stadium.phtml

4.2 Naming of Stadium Complex. (a) The Bills shall have the exclusive right to name, or contract from time to time with any Person or Persons on such terms as the Bills may determine with respect to the naming of the Stadium Complex or any portion thereof; provided that (i) the term during which any such name shall apply shall expire no later than the end of the Term (whether due to the attainment of the Stadium Lease Expiration Date or any earlier termination or cancellation thereof) and (ii) given the substantial interest of the County and the ECSC in the Stadium Complex and the public character thereof, the Bills shall not permit any name to be given to the Stadium Complex or any portion thereof except in accordance with this Section 4.2.

While I don't necessarily agree with exclusively using tax dollars to fund stadiums or renovations/improvements, etc. I do feel that some tax money should be used. Reason being, the Bills bring in a lot of revenue to the city that wouldn't be there if the team were not in Buffalo. But, the days of using public tax money to completely fund a new stadium are gone. I'm pretty sure every new stadium recently has had some contribution for sources other than public tax dollars.

I also think that Erie county should be looking to get a bit more out of the Bills than they do in the current lease. Currently, the lease states that only half of the regular season games must be played at RWS... If Erie county is going to assist the Bills in a project costing around $100 million, I don't think Ralph should be allowed to sell games to Toronto, because Erie county gets nothing from those games played in Canada.

So, in short, both Erie county and the Bills should pay for the cost of improving RWS... That's my opinion, but if I were a betting man, Erie County will likely end up footing the bill. In exchange for that, hopefully the new lease will give Erie county more back than it gets under the current lease.

-Bill

[better days]

Re: Who Should Pay for Improvements at the Buffalo Bills Stadium?

Good luck with that in this economy. I don't see it. The Bills don't have the leverage that the Jets and Giants did in terms of getting 2 states to compete for us. I could see the state ponying up for some infrastructure money for improvments to roads and such but the building itself? You need a new owner with a vision and a large billfold. Just remember Bob Kraft built his new stadium himself with just some infrastructure money- MA basically gave him the middle finger.

We are not talking about a new stadium like the Giants & Jets built, we are talking about a REMODEL JOB for the only team that plays in NY State & the only team that brings in tax dollars to the state of NY.

[Extremebillsfan247]

Re: Who Should Pay for Improvements at the Buffalo Bills Stadium?

http://www.wgrz.com/news/article/139...Wilson-Stadium

The bigger question should be how much does this team really mean to you? If it's important to the local community to keep them in Buffalo than you must be willing to make that sacrifice. The Bills are not the Patriots. In all reality, the moment you collectively decide "we wont do it" could be the moment you seal this team's fate. Then western New Yorkers will have no one to blame but themselves if the team moved somewhere else to play like L.A. Just saying.

[TheGhostofJimKelly]

Re: Who Should Pay for Improvements at the Buffalo Bills Stadium?

I am a Bills fan, I love the team. I would put my passion up against anyone. However, I am really sick and tired of this fear that if we don't pony up more money, this team will leave. You can look at it any way you want, but at the end of the day the NFL needs the people in this area a lot more than we need them. This area not only puts butts in the seats, but it is regularly in the top 10 in the ratings for NFL games in the country, sometimes top 5. They are an east coast team. They are in a region that is unique as it is one of the few cities that can draw from Canada, including one of it's major cities. The NFL won't move this team unless there is a real issue, they know the Bills are geographically in a good spot. I don't have an issue with some money going towards the team to help with upgrades and such, but this owner continues to make millions every year while he puts the bare minimum into the football team and then goes and takes one of our home games and puts it in another country. I am just sick of being handcuffed by a man that is a millionaire in a league worth billions, because he won't spend money in his old age.