Braves, Cobb in legal dispute over millions in stadium costs

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Cobb County and the Atlanta Braves are in a legal dispute over millions of dollars in costs associated with SunTrust Park.

Taxpayers' obligation on the publicly-subsidized ballpark already tops $400 million.

But now the Braves are seeking more than $4.6 million they say the county owes them.

The issue began back in May when the county approached the team about paying $1.5 million for water infrastructure at the stadium, according to legal correspondence.

The county said the Braves had agreed to pay for all costs above the defined county contribution, which had already been paid.

The Braves in turn pointed to a section of the development agreement they say exempts the company from such infrastructure fees on the stadium itself, as opposed to The Battery development.

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When the county declared the Braves in default on the agreement, the team responded with a demand for immediate payment from Cobb for what they characterized as outstanding obligations.

Those include $2.6 million for what the team said were improperly assessed building permit fees;  $1.5 million for transportation improvements; and $500,000 for project management costs.

Both sides have agreed to seek mediation, per their contract.

Cobb Chairman Mike Boyce downplayed the rift, saying he had a great relationship with Braves executives.

“I’m going to let the lawyers play their games, but I’m going to deal with my counterparts once we get to mediation,” Boyce said.

The Braves said in a statement that they were “working in good faith with the County to close out a handful of minor project related items.”

“Cobb County has and continues to be a great partner and we expect to resolve these matters very soon,” the statement read.

Cox Media Group