Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said he approves of a possible special session if the legislator can pass a bill to keep the Bears in Illinois.
“I love the Chicago Bears. I want them to be in Illinois, and I have worked very hard to try to keep them in Illinois. They’ve got to make sure that they know what it is that they want and stick to the message,” said Gov. Pritzker.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker talks Chicago Bears stadium to reporters
Pritzker added, “Apparently, there was some discussion with the city of Chicago, after they told everybody that they wanted to be in Arlington Heights. And you can imagine for Chicago legislators and for everybody considering the bills, confusing, which one do you want?”
The Illinois House of Reps passed a “mega-bill” that would’ve helped cut property taxes for a new Bears stadium in Arlington Heights. Without a bill, the Bears and Arlington Heights officials say they’d be required to up to $100 million per year in property taxes. Arlington Heights Mayor Jim Tinaglia told me, other professional teams in Illinois owe less than $6 million annually, and NFL-based LA Rams pay less than $9 million annually.
But the bill didn’t pass the Senate before the Legislation session ended. The Bears are also requesting over $850 million in tax dollars to fund nearby infrastructure projects, such as sewers and highways. However, the property tax situation has stirred more public debate for lawmakers.
Mayor Tinaglia said on 670 The Score in Chicago that the Bears, “Ask wasn’t heroic. People who think (the bill) was about donating to the Bears or compromising their responsibility for taxes, then those are people who don’t want to listen or pay attention to the truth.
The Mayor added, “The Bears want to pay taxes…. all they wanted was the ability to negotiate with the school district here, who said they are all in for this.”
Right now, Indiana has a bill that would help the Bears build a new stadium in their state. And the Bears have threatened to move across the border.
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