CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cleveland City Council wants to scrutinize the $100 million Browns settlement, steer how it’s spent and see if there’s more to gain. But Mayor Justin Bibb is clear: it’s deal or no deal.
Bibb told reporters Friday that $100 million is the Browns’ final offer — and that team owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam want half of it spent on restoring the lakefront once they leave.
“At this stage, the deal is the current deal,” Bibb said. “(The Haslams) have not indicated that they’re open to any material changes.”
It’s just the latest in a tug of war with city council, whose members control the city’s purse strings and have made clear they feel the conversation is just starting.
Almost two weeks ago, Bibb and Jimmy Haslam announced they’d made peace; with the Haslams promising $100 million in exchange for Cleveland settling a complex legal fight that spanned three lawsuits.
Of the $100 million the Haslams’ promised, most of it would be mandated for the mayor’s reimagining of Cleveland’s lakefront. It includes a $25 million payment for lakefront improvements, demolition of the current stadium at the Browns’ expense and $5 million annual payments from 2029 to 2033, also mandated for the lakefront.
As it stands, $20 million is committed for projects in neighborhoods that council could negotiate and decide where to spend starting in 2029.
Bibb has put the settlement to council for approval.
Opinions vary among the 17-member body about what to do, but council has already put the $100 million deal through one three-hour oversight hearing — and has plans for more.
Councilman Charles Slife said it’s likely that council will make changes to the final deal, even if it’s to decide where the money is spent. He was the lone “no” vote on the Planning Commission Friday when the terms of the deal came up for approval — a formality in the legislative process.
He argues that residents spent decades subsidizing the Browns lakefront stadium. He pointed out that his recreation center’s pool — like other underfunded quality-of-life amenities in the city — was closed for five years while City Hall continued to fix the Browns’ home field.
Slife agrees developing the lakefront is a noble goal. So, too, are neighborhood needs.
“When people describe why they love Cleveland, they’re not going to start with the lakefront” Slife said. “They’re going to start with the things that surround them in their everyday life.”
Bibb has described the lakefront as a strategic bet Cleveland must make to compete with peer cities like Chicago, Seattle and other communities with great waterfronts.
Even if the Haslams’ terms are the only way forward, Slife said council should have a chance to vet them and see if that’s really the case.
Slife and others said city council found out about the settlement just before Bibb announced it.
Bibb admitted Friday he kept his final negotiations under the radar, not even telling his staff until he and Jimmy Haslam struck the deal.
A spokesman for the Cleveland Browns declined to comment. But the Haslams want to “be a solution for what happens next on the lakefront,” said Jessica Trivisonno, Bibb’s senior strategist on lakefront development.
Trivisonno said at Friday’s planning commission meeting that the $100 million offer is part of a package deal.
“The settlement that we are talking about today is not an À la carte situation where we get to pick and choose which pieces we want to approve or disapprove,” Trivisonno said.
Cleveland’s law director has authority over dropping lawsuits. Council’s power over spending and real estate means it must approve key parts of the deal.
Bibb said if council votes “no,” Cleveland would have to go back to court in a weakened position.
There may be more economic benefits to gain outside of the $100 million settlement, Bibb said.
He told reporters Friday that there have been discussions about capital repairs at the current stadium and how to minimize them. The Haslams are open to a community benefits agreement to demolish the stadium that would include goals like hiring minority-owned and smaller local contractors. And the Browns want to find ways to help Cleveland residents travel to Brook Park for jobs.
Previously, Bibb’s staffers have said they’re eager to work with city council, as they vet the $100 million deal. And Bibb said Friday he believes council will ultimately vote to approve it.
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