Commissioners agreed to keep FC Cincinnati stadium details secret

Dan Horn | Cincinnati Enquirer

Show Caption Hide Caption FC Cincinnati unveils stadium design at OTR event Second-year USL soccer club FC Cincinnati unveiled on Monday, June 13 a stadium design during an event for season ticket holders at Woodward Theater in Over-the-Rhine.

Two of the three Hamilton County commissioners have signed nondisclosure agreements with FC Cincinnati that bar them from discussing details of the team's plans for a new soccer stadium.

Democrats Todd Portune and Denise Driehaus both said Wednesday they signed the agreements a few months ago when the team first approached them with ideas for a stadium.

Republican Commissioner Chris Monzel said he has had conversations with team officials, but he did not sign a nondisclosure agreement.

FC Cincinnati, which is hoping to make the jump to Major League Soccer in the next few years, has been making the rounds in recent months seeking support for building a $200 million, soccer-only stadium.

FC Cincinnati officials said they asked for the nondisclosure agreement because of MLS requirements and proprietary financial data included in its application to MLS.

"These initial conversations covered by the non-disclosure were straightforward MLS application briefings and not requests for public stadium funding," said the team's spokesman, Fumi Kimura. "Of course a plan for public funding is by definition a public process, and we look forward to a public discussion when and if we can develop a feasible plan for consideration."

Team officials have not said how much they would seek from taxpayers to get the stadium built.

Portune and Driehaus said the team sought the secrecy promise because the discussions involved possible stadium sites and other details the team considered proprietary. Both commissioners said they signed because it was the only way to find out about the team's plans.

They said they would not make any deals or take any action without a public discussion.

"Long before anything is done or considered, we're going to bring this process out in public," Portune said. "We're going to have a full and complete vetting of it."

Public officials routinely meet behind closed doors to discuss litigation, contracts and some matters related to property acquisition, but the nondisclosure agreements with FC Cincinnati drew criticism from critics of publicly-funded stadiums.

Jeff Capell, who leads a local group opposed to using tax dollars on stadiums, told commissioners Wednesday they should conduct all business related to FC Cincinnati in public.

"If FC Cincinnati wants our tax dollars, they need to make this request in public," Capell said.

A county sales tax already covers Paul Brown Stadium and Great American Ball Park, and the county has struggled for years to pay for upgrades and other amenities required under the stadium leases, particularly the lease with the Bengals.

Monzel said he's willing to talk to FC Cincinnati, but he would not support county ownership of another stadium. Portune and Driehaus also have expressed strong reservations, but have not ruled out the possibility of some public involvement.

Portune said he believes FC Cincinnati could continue to play at Nippert Stadium or at Paul Brown Stadium, which is configured for use as both a football and soccer stadium.

The Enquirer reported last month that the team is considering sites in Oakley and the West End in Cincinnati, but also in Newport, Ky.