Buffalo Bills not in Cuomo's budget

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Just as it seemed the governor was about to make a major push to keep the Buffalo Bills in western New York, it looks like there was a major misinterpretation.

When Governor Andrew Cuomo revealed his budget plan on Tuesday, he listed keeping the Bills as a "critical economic development investment." One problem - it's not in the budget.

Some say the portion of his budget plan called "Continued Critical Economic Development Investments" is misleading. It commits over $84 million to support ongoing initiatives, and lists "retention of professional football in western New York" as one of those initiatives.

But in reality, the governor really wasn't committing to any new plan to keep the Bills here.

Empire State Development Corp. President and CEO Kenneth Adams said, "In terms of retaining the Bills, no, that is not in the budget. It's not in the billion dollars of economic development aid announced for Buffalo."

The money budgeted was for the final lease payment for Ralph Wilson stadium. So what's the game plan to keep the Bills here?

There's a commitment to work on this, commitment obviously to keep the Bills in Buffalo, absolutely, but this budget does not, and there was no need for it to address the funding. That will be addressed in the future," explained Adams.

On the bigger economic issue of how the billion dollars in assistance the governor wants to give to Buffalo will be distributed, Adams says it will be given to companies that commit to a 5-to-1 ratio of investment.

Adams stated, "So if we have a billion and private industry brings $5 billion, this is really a $6 billion, multi-year initiative."