The Bears are looking to leave the city of Chicago and build a new stadium in the suburbs, and now Illinois and Indiana are jockeying to see which side of the state line the Bears will go to.
Indiana has already passed legislation that would use significant taxpayer money to build the Bears a new stadium. The Illinois legislature is now considering a bill of its own that would freeze property tax assessments on the team’s proposed stadium in Arlington Heights, allowing the Bears to pay a lot less than they otherwise would have.
The Bears have already bought the Arlington Heights site, previously home of a horse racing track, but put plans to build a stadium there on hold when they found out how much they were likely to pay on property taxes there.
Whether the Illinois legislation passes may depend on whether enough concessions are put into place to get legislators representing Chicago on board. They want assurances that the Bears’ current location, Soldier Field, will get state support to remain a viable venue for other events, even as the Bears leave.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, who has long opposed spending tax dollars directly on building a stadium, has indicated that he supports the plan to give the Bears a property tax break and hopes the legislature will pass it.
The Bears expect to decide between Illinois and Indiana within the next few months.
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