The Chicago Bears stadium saga began in 2021 and has meandered back and forth for the past five years. Some wondered if it would ever actually happen despite them already owning the necessary property in Arlington Heights. Unfortunately, doing business with the Illinois government is always a dubious proposition. Sure enough, Springfield didn’t seem interested in cooperating, always finding ways to stall and ignore attempts by the organization to work something out.
All of that changed when the Bears began flirting with the idea of moving to Indiana.
Only then did the state government start taking the issue seriously. Things reached a critical junction this week as the Megaprojects bill, which would give the Bears property tax certainty to start construction, reached the House floor for a vote. According to Brenden Moore of Capitol News Illinois, the bill passed with a 78-32 vote. It was a massive step in the right direction for the team. Next comes the Senate. Unfortunately, many believe the bill in its current state won’t pass. That is why some amendments are expected before it’s put to a vote.
If it passes there, it goes to Governor J.B. Pritzker’s desk for signing.
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Property taxes have driven this Chicago Bears stadium issue.
From the beginning, the organization stated that the current property tax law made it impossible for them to build a stadium because it would have driven the taxes up to astronomical levels. The most an NFL team pays in the league is $8 million per year. The Bears would’ve had to pay around $120 million. There was no way that was viable. For this reason, they have been pushing the Megaprojects bills to put a freeze on such taxes. The sticking point that held the bill up was the lack of support for residential homeowners and school districts. It appears the amendments offered in the House were enough to settle the issue.
“The measure would allow the Bears and other developers of megaprojects across the state to get a property tax freeze, for up to 40 years. That’s in addition to another annual “special payment”, negotiated with the local government…
…Half of the revenue generated from the special payment would be set aside for property tax relief. That sum would be split 60-40 between local residential homeowners, and a state-controlled property tax relief fund.”
As always, there are several politicians in the government with concerns about the bill. Such is the nature of politics. It is always like pulling teeth trying to get anything done. That seems especially true in Illinois. Most organizations probably would’ve taken Indiana’s offer by this point. However, the Chicago Bears have been an institution in this state for over a century. The McCaskey family didn’t want to be the ones who ended that until they exhausted every opportunity to work something out. It seems that persistence is paying off.
Momentum is building.
There are some who remain pessimistic that the bill can make it through the Senate. Opposition remains vocal. However, the government knows it’s up against a timetable. The NFL is set to meet the McCaskeys next week to discuss the Chicago Bears stadium situation. They want a resolution sooner rather than later. It is felt that if Illinois doesn’t show some real progress by then, the league will pressure the franchise to accept the offer from Indiana. That state has already passed the necessary legislation and picked a large plot of land in Hammond on the border. All they require is for the Bears to say yes.
This kind of pressure often spurs action. There is no way people in this government want to be known as the group who let a landmark franchise like the Bears leave for another state after over a century. It would be a monumental PR disaster. There is still time to work out the wrinkles of the bill so everybody can be happy with it. Results are expected within the coming days.
