Hamilton County will begin advertising today for a new set of eyes to watch the bottom line at Great American Ball Park.

        The county is issuing a request it hopes will attract construction auditors interested in watching the books and reviewing safeguards already in place to keep construction costs at the baseball stadium from soaring, as they did at Paul Brown Stadium, which finished $51 million over budget.

        In addition, the auditor will keep tabs on other riverfront projects, such as parking garages, roadwork and more — a total of $495 million in construction.

        Tom Gabelman, the county's consulting attorney for riverfront development, said four levels of review already are in place.

        “The whole idea is to have the outside auditor come in and evaluate those procedures,” Mr. Gabelman said, adding that the auditor can recommend changes to the system already in place.

        The ballpark already is an estimated $20 million over budget, which is being paid either by the Reds or by cutting corners as mandated by the lease the Reds signed with Hamilton County.

        The Reds' lease is much different from the Bengals', which could have left taxpayers picking up the tab for overruns at Paul Brown Stadium.

        The county has set a deadline of May 4 for firms to apply for the job, and hopes to select one by May 23.

        The auditor will be asked to perform three tasks:

        • An initial review of contracts, procedure manuals, monthly reports and all associated documentation. Review all elements of cost-control processes.

        • Quarterly review of project costs, preparing a report that outlines findings and recommendations.

        • Final project review to verify that cost controls and procedures were carried out properly.

        “Whatever can go wrong will go wrong, and that's why we need an auditor,” Commissioner John Dowlin said.

        Mr. Dowlin and fellow commissioner Todd Portune also voted in favor of sending the request for review to Hamilton County Auditor Dusty Rhodes and Ohio Auditor Jim Petro.

        Recommendations from the two government auditors can be incorporated into the request.

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