Both Gov. Kathy Hochul and Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz have made reference to an "ironclad" non-relocation agreement that would prevent the Bills from leaving Western New York.
Here's how that would work, based on what was shared Monday.
The new stadium deal includes a non-relocation agreement that prohibits the team from moving. The agreement gives both the state and the county the right to enforce the non-relocation terms, Poloncarz said.
If a court were to allow the Bills to break their promise not to move the team and essentially break the lease, then the Bills would be required to repay both the state and the county everything they contributed toward the stadium for the first 15 years, he said.
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The payback amount required from the Bills would decline for the final 15 years.
However, if the team were to leave within the 30-year timeframe, the state could also require the Bills to pay for the cost of demolishing the stadium, Poloncarz said.
New York and Erie County provided some clarity on how much the public will spend on a new, $1.4 billion Buffalo Bills stadium. But government officials left some specific questions unanswered.
"The terms for the non-relocation agreement are very, very strong," he said. "They have to stay. If, by chance, they broke the lease and a court allowed them to break the lease, then they'd have to pay us back. And they'd have to demolish the new stadium if the state so wanted."
While Erie County will no longer be part of the stadium lease deal, since the county is transferring stadium ownership to the state, the county would be a party to the non-relocation agreement.
He also said the Bills would have to petition a judge in New York State, and likely in Erie County, for the right to break the lease agreement.
The financial penalty associated with trying to move the team is similar, in concept, to the non-relocation clause that exists in the current 10-year stadium lease deal.
