The Bears stadium saga just got yet another twist.
An Illinois lawmaker said he has a new plan to keep the team in Illinois. The question is — is it too little too late?
“This entire debacle has exposed the serious flaws in our property tax system….My legislation will help keep the Bears in Illinois while lowering property taxes for everyone,” said Rep. Dan Ugaste from Geneva.
Details on the new plan are expected to be released later Tuesday morning, but Ugaste said it will give both the Bears and homeowners and businesses in Illinois property tax relief.
The Bears have already announced plans to “advance” their stadium project in Hammond, Indiana, following a vote by their board of directors. Still, an exact site has yet to be determined.
NBC Chicago recently learned the team is considering a second site over the border.
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Sources familiar with negotiations between the Bears and Indiana officials told Political Reporter Mary Ann Ahern the team is eyeing a second Hammond site, not far from the Wolf Lake tract that has been the primary focus of lawmakers and team officials up until this point.
The Bears had confirmed their intent to focus on Indiana in a press release on Friday, but they notably did not specify where the stadium would be located if it ultimately is built in the Hoosier State.
Legislation to encourage the Bears to build a stadium in suburban Arlington Heights faltered in the closing stages of the General Assembly’s spring session in Illinois, and although Arlington Heights Mayor Jim Tinaglia is hoping the legislature will convene a special session to address the Bears issue, it is appearing unlikely that lawmakers will do anything to address it prior to the fall veto session.
Even if they decide to, they would need a supermajority of the legislature to go along with any plan, a tall order for a plan that was struggling to gain enough votes to pass in the closing stages of the spring session.
“This was a private development funded 100 percent by private investment that wanted to pay property taxes in a reasonable manner,” Tinaglia told NBC Chicago. “Our school boards that are directly connected to this property agree with that. Signed this memorandum of understanding that said we are on board with this yet we couldn’t get it done.”
Indiana lawmakers earlier this year passed a bill that would offer the Bears approximately $1 billion in incentives to convince them to leave Chicago after more than 100 years as the city’s NFL team. The money to finance construction bonds would come from a series of new tax levies surrounding the proposed sites in Indiana.
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