The Jefferson County Commission agreed to put up $500,000 for this year’s Magic City Classic in a contentious meeting Thursday morning.

The next Magic City Classic football game at Legion Field is scheduled for Oct. 28, 2023, between Alabama State and Alabama A&M universities, the state’s two largest historically Black universities.

The $500,000 was approved as a professional services contract with the Alabama Sports Council, which is negotiating a payout for the schools.

Last year, each school got $800,000 for participating in the game. It’s the biggest fundraiser of the year for the schools.

The schools have asked for an increase in payout to $1.5 million each per year, or a minimum of $1.2 million, and a three-year contract.

The Birmingham City Council approved a memorandum of agreement with the schools last year to keep the game at Legion Field for four more years, agreeing to pay $500,000 to each school yearly through 2026, up from $375,000 for each school in 2022.

Jefferson County Commissioner Lashunda Scales said that no agreement has been signed.

She said that without a $750,000 per year commitment from Jefferson County to increase the payout to each university, that Birmingham would be at risk of losing the game.

“There is no signed agreement,” Scales said. “It’s about the schools getting a guarantee.”

Scales said the reluctance to agree to a long-term financial agreement meant the schools could consider other locations.

“They do have options,” Scales said. “Since they don’t have a guarantee, you’ve opened up for them to shop around.”

The Jefferson County Commission as a whole did not allocate money for the game last year. Commissioner Sheila Tyson contributed $100,000 from her discretionary fund, while Scales added $50,000 from hers.

Commission President Jimmie Stephens said the $500,000 approved Thursday comes from the county’s Economic Development Fund, which is typically used for incentives to lure new business to the county, not retention of existing business.

The commission will consider future appropriations, based on metrics for the economic benefits the game brings the county, he said.

“I am so disheartened by what you said,” Scales said. “This event meets the requirements. This is shameful.”