Unsurprisingly, the Illinois state government once again showed that it couldn’t find a solution to a problem before running out of time. News hit yesterday that the state senate killed the Chicago Bears megaprojects bill. Most of it concerned the uncertainty about how it would affect taxpayers across the wider state. Still, key figures in the government weren’t ready to give up. They worked to introduce a new bill that would narrow the focus to just the Bears, offering a proposal they felt would get the necessary votes.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the details are somewhat wild. The idea was that municipalities, or towns with 70,000 or more residents in the state, would be allowed to create stadium-financing authorities. They would be allowed to pitch the Bears on a location. Once the Bears accepted, they would finance stadium construction, while the municipality would officially own it. This would mean the team completely dodges paying property taxes while still keeping most or all of the revenue generated.
It is something the Chicago Bears likely would be on board with.
Sources close to the negotiations said the most promising idea was to allow municipalities to create their own stadium-financing authorities, akin to the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority that funded construction of what is now Rate Field, as well as the often-ridiculed 2003 renovation of Soldier Field…
…Under the proposal — which was still in flux by the hour — the land and the stadium at whatever site the team picks would be owned by the municipality, whether it’s Arlington Heights, Chicago or another suitor.
The Bears would pay to build the stadium, but be completely off the hook for property taxes. That was their main concern in advocating for the tanked megaproject legislation, which would’ve allowed them to negotiate discounted payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) in order to slash property tax bills the team has estimated would top $100 million in Arlington Heights.
“They would essentially pay for the stadium, enter an agreement with the municipality — could be any municipality — and the municipality would open the building,” Cunningham said as the clock ticked Sunday evening. “I think all but three NFL stadiums are publicly owned right now, so it’s a pretty common model.”
Sadly, time ran out.
The Senate ultimately passed the bill by a 37-17 vote. That meant it would get shifted back to the House. If they voted to pass it, the bill would go to Governor J.B. Pritzker’s desk for a signature. In the end, House leaders didn’t like the uncertainties about the new legislation and didn’t even bring it to a vote. The government session ended, crushing any chance of the bill passing. That seemingly puts the Bears in a position to make a decision. Do they wait it out to see if the House considers revisiting the bill during the fall session in November, or do they cut bait and start their move to Indiana?
The team made a statement following the end of the session. They made it clear they remain focused on Arlington Heights or Hammond and will stick to their original timeline of late spring/early summer before making a final decision.
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It seems apparent they are holding out hope that the government is seeking a way to settle this bill issue before the fall. This was encouraged by House Speaker Chris Welch, who stated that the bill hasn’t been abandoned. Leaders will continue working at it, and he’s confident it will be resolved “sooner than later.”
Hidden layers in the bill led to its failure.
Anybody familiar with democratic government operations will know that competing parties love hiding small amendments with enormous implications inside bills. By doing this late in legislative sessions, it is hoped that such measures will go overlooked due to the time crunch. In this case, the big issue was how many public tax dollars would funnel to something called One Central. It is a massive, proposed $20 billion mixed-use megadevelopment aiming to build a new neighborhood and multi-modal transit hub on a 34-acre platform over existing Metra tracks, located just west of Soldier Field. If the bill had passed, it would’ve provided a massive boost to that project. It also would’ve given Chicago a significant edge in keeping the Bears.
Brian Costin, the Deputy State Director at Americans for Prosperity – Illinois, provided a breakdown of what this all means.
This feels like the central point of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s effort to kill the megaprojects bill and keep the Chicago Bears in the city. The team only made matters more complicated by holding multiple meetings and calls with city officials in recent weeks, emboldening the block of voters who want to keep it downtown to kill the bill. Hence, here we are.
Everything depends on what happens in the next several days. Welch believes there is a path to resolving the issue. More time is needed. Does this mean the government could call a special session? It has happened only five times since 2000. Four of those times were over state budget issues, and the other was the map redistricting. This would be the first time the government has ever done such a thing strictly over a sports team.
