Bills stadium price tag clears $2.1B, public still only paying for $1B of it, yay?

The Tampa Bay Rays stadium fiasco is dominating the headlines right now, but I don’t want to ignore the news out of Buffalo, where the Bills‘ $1.5 billion stadium is now going to cost at least $2.1 billion, because the economy or something:

Bills president Pete Guelli said he was not surprised by the amount, given how the numbers have been tracking up since construction began 16 months ago. And he said the projected total represents the commitment the Pegulas have to the community because they are sticking to their vision for the facility without cutting corners to reduce costs.

Previous reports cited “increased labor and material costs” for the rising price tag — Guelli didn’t explain why it’s since gone up even more, or indicate whether the pending deportation of a large chunk of the construction workforce has been factored in. Bills owners Terry and Kim Pegula remain on the hook for all cost overruns beyond the $1 billion committed by the state and county, leading to this hilarious moment:

Love the fact that the Erie County exec said that the cost overruns are actually good news because it makes the county's $250M giveaway to the richest family in upstate NY a smaller percentage of the total stadium cost. apnews.com/article/bill…

— Victor Matheson (@victor-matheson.bsky.social) 2024-11-19T16:09:55.662Z

Props to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Erie County executive Mark Polancarz, I guess, for making sure the Pegulas would be responsible for any costs over the initial $1.4 billion. Significantly fewer props for putting up $1 billion in public money in the first place without allowing any public or legislative debate, as one does, but Hochul in particular needs all the Ws she can get right now.