CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Representatives of the Cleveland Cavaliers have quietly inquired whether the Cuyahoga County government would provide public money - in addition to the sin tax dollars voters approved last year - to overhaul the publicly-owned Quicken Loans Arena, Northeast Ohio Media Group has learned.

But the Cavs have not yet presented an official proposal or disclosed the degree of public support they may seek, according to Tim Offtermatt, chairman of the board for the Gateway Economic Development Corporation, the non-profit landlord for The Q and Progressive Field.

"Right now this is the glimmer in somebody's eye, and if it becomes a real proposal, then we'll start thinking about it," Offtermatt said. "But right now, from Gateway's perspective, we're not even thinking about it."

Cavaliers CEO Len Komoroski said in a statement that The Q is a public asset that has contributed to the economic momentum in downtown Cleveland, helped support jobs and secure major events like the Republican National Convention in 2016. The Cavaliers organization and owner Dan Gilbert have invested "hundreds of millions of dollars over the last 20 years" into the arena, the statement says.

But the statement does not specify the nature of the improvements, offer a time-frame or address the amount taxpayers might be asked to invest.

"We hope to soon move further with the development of The Q into a Cleveland venue iconic on both the national and international stage," Komoroski said in the statement. "This will ensure The Q continues to compete for major events as a world-class destination with a newly energized and exciting profile for many years to come.

"While there have been no negotiations or conditions established at this point, any plan to enhance The Q would include great additional private investment from our organization and our ownership," he said.

(Scroll down to read the complete statement.)

In an email, Emily Lundgard, a spokeswoman for County Executive Armond Budish said: "We highly value our public-private partnerships across the region, including our relationship with the Cavaliers organization. At this point, no negotiations have occurred with the Cavaliers but the county and our stakeholders always maintain an open and ongoing dialogue concerning major assets in our community."

In a December conversation with NEOMG editors and reporters, Budish raised concerns about the county's ability to borrow any more money to pay for competing needs for overhauls of the taxpayer-subsidized MetroHealth campus and the county's Justice Center.

"We have a balanced budget, and that's a good thing," Budish said. "But I don't know that we have a whole lot more capacity for new building projects given the current economics of the county budget."

The Cavs' courtship of the county spans both the administrations of former County Executive Ed FitzGerald, who left office on Dec. 31, and Budish, who took over the county the following day, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation.

Budish and County Council would have to sign off on any county funding that might go to the project. Any deal to change the Cavs' lease, which currently runs through 2027, would require approval from the Gateway board, the members of which include representatives of the county and Cleveland governments.

It's not clear how any proposed improvements might affect the RNC, which is scheduled to begin on July 18, 2016. The Q is expected to host many of the convention's main attractions.

Offtermatt, the Gateway chairman, said that any work done to The Q, along with improvements planned at FirstEnergy Stadium and Progressive Field, would need to be scheduled with the convention in mind, since all three venues ultimately may be used by convention planners.

"We'd have to be concerned about getting it done, and not doing anything to impede the activities at the convention, which are going to begin well before the actual convention starts," he said.

If public money does go to the arena overhaul, public officials likely would seek concessions from the Cavaliers in exchange.

Offtermatt said he "definitely has some ideas" on the types of concessions officials may seek. "But it's probably not a great idea to advertise what those things are until we have a chance to sit down with the Cavaliers to lay them out," he said.

County voters last May approved a 20-year extension of the county 'sin tax' on alcohol and cigarettes. The county this summer is expected to decide how to split the sin tax revenues between Quicken Loans Arena, Progressive Field and FirstEnergy Stadium.

The sin tax campaign, which was heavily financed by the Browns, Cavs and Indians organizations, made no reference to possible future requests for tax money to improve The Q. However, at the request of county officials, the Cavs in January 2014 estimated they might seek county support for between $55 million and $65 million of planned maintenance over the next decade, including $9 million for a new scoreboard.

Dan Gilbert, who also owns the Horsehoe Casino Cleveland among other downtown real estate holdings, donated $15,000 to Budish's campaign last Oct. 23, campaign finance records show.

A request from Gilbert for more taxpayer support for The Q could resurrect questions about his yet unfulfilled promise to build a second phase of his casino on land overlooking the Cuyahoga River. His Rock Ohio Caesars bought the land in 2012 and Gilbert has repeatedly stated he is committed to the project.

In May of last year, Horseshoe Casino General Manager Marcus Glover told The Plain Dealer Publishing Co. that a second phase was under discussion and that the project would require about two years to design and three years to build.

An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated when the 2016 Republican National Convention is scheduled to begin. It begins on July 18, not July 19.

